


Landslide

by sparkinglovingheart



Series: Loved You Yesterday, Love You Still [1]
Category: Marvel (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Aftermath of Torture, Age Play, Age of Ultron Spoilers!, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Anti-Tony Stark, Baron Von Strucker is a dick, Bathing/Washing, Codependency, Cuddling & Snuggling, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, F/F, F/M, Flashbacks, Fluff and Angst, Forced Abortion, Heavy Angst, I'm going straight to Hell, I'm just changing a bunch of stuff that happened, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Little!Wanda, Medication, Mental Breakdown, Mental Instability, Mild Gore, Mommy Kink, Nightmares, Non-Sexual Age Play, Non-Sexual Kink, Other, Overprotective Natasha, Overprotective Pietro, Panic Attacks, Past Abuse, Past Rape/Non-con, Past Sexual Assault, Pet Names, Physical Abuse, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Self Harm, Self-Hatred, Sexual Abuse, Sexual Content, Sibling Incest, Thoughts of Suicide, Thumb-sucking, Torture, Twincest, Wanda is very affectionate and an actual angel, mild body dysmorphia
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-03
Updated: 2015-10-07
Packaged: 2018-03-28 19:14:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 35
Words: 103,574
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3866581
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sparkinglovingheart/pseuds/sparkinglovingheart
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It took a few moments, but Wanda did blink slowly, and her body stiffened as she realized where she was. Natasha met her eyes, and watched the girl break into hysterics again as she threw her arms around her.</p><p>“M-Mommy,” she sobbed.</p><p>Natasha froze. Mommy? Where the hell had that come from?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Age of Ultron Spoilers!
> 
> I am deeply, deeply ashamed of myself for writing this. Deeply. Just wanted to put that out there. But I really, really, wanted to write this (my other fic has mild ageplay Wanda in it too) and I loved writing that, but I couldn't always focus on it because it's actually supposed to have a plot. So whenever I see a prompt or something, or I just feel like writing it, I will add to this. Cuz it's fun!  
> Also, this is going to have a TON of Maxicest, but the first chapter does focus mostly on the relationship between Natasha and Wanda.
> 
> Also, Pietro lives, the whole team stays together, but Rhodey, Sam and Vision joined too, and...yeah. There is no plot, really. Just a setup, and then adventures. If you weren't a fan of the whole thing about Natasha wanting kids, this probably isn't for you.

It was late at night, and since Natasha had found that thinking generally offered her more peace than sleep did, she had been awake to hear Wanda screaming. 

She knew. They all knew, because they had all gone through it. It wasn’t unusual for Steve to wake up yelling, for Tony to get stuck back in that cave, for Thor to awaken in a cold sweat, remembering a fight gone wrong or his brother dying. It happened to all of them.

Steve poked his head out of his bedroom door as Natasha walked towards Wanda’s room, having heard her himself. Natasha shook her head and said, “I’ll handle it.”

She pushed the door open to see Wanda screaming, her body practically convulsing among the sheets. Natasha moved forward cautiously, reaching a hand out to touch the other girl’s hair, “Hey, hon. Wake up for me, okay?”

Wanda let out a terrible shriek, and Natasha winced. She shook her hard, saying, “Wanda, you’re dreaming. Wake up. You’re safe.”

It took a few moments, but Wanda did blink slowly, and her body stiffened as she realized where she was. Natasha met her eyes, and watched the girl break into hysterics again as threw her arms around her.

“M-Mommy,” she sobbed.

Natasha froze. Mommy? Where the hell had that come from?

Maybe she was still stuck in the past, before her parents had died. Maybe, by sheer coincidence, Natasha looked like her mother or something. She was about to ask her if she knew where she was, but stopped when it came again.

“Mommy, I’m scared.”

Before she even realized the words were out of her mouth, Natasha said, "Mommy's here, honey." 

Oh, fuck no.

That has got to be a mistake.

Natasha wanted to open her mouth, take back what she had just said, because she knew that she had just sent them down a slippery slope. She wished she had the heart to leave, to back away, say it was a mistake, that Wanda was just tired and hallucinating. They were all stressed out. That was it. 

Forget it. She had said it, and it was out there, and now all she could do was hope that Wanda would forget any of this ever happened by morning. She pulled back quickly, letting Wanda fall back onto the pillows, her hair spread out. She looked up at Natasha through tear filled eyes and reached her arms up, “Don’t go.”

Natasha almost wanted to say, “Stop being so uncomfortably cute,” but resisted the urge, and instead murmured, “You gotta get some sleep, Wanda.”

“It’s scary by myself. I wanna sleep with you.”

This was so not happening. This kind of thing did not fucking happen to her. Natasha Romanoff could handle just about anything life threw at her, all the way up to batting maniacal robots that wanted to destroy the entire world. But playing “mommy” was definitely not her forte, as much as she had wished it had been at many points in her life. 

“Wanda, do you know where you are? You know I’m not your mom, right? I can be your friend.”

Wanda still didn’t look very coherent at all, and just mumbled, “You’re my mama. Don’t go.”

No, you should really fucking go. Run.

Yeah, and then leave an unstable, frightened girl here to cry her eyes out until she falls asleep and has another nightmare?

Sadly, not a chance. Natasha sighed, and slid in next to her, stiffening a little when Wanda buried her face in her chest and whispered, “Thank you.” 

“You’re welcome,” she said hesitantly, “Go to sleep.”

Wanda did. 

Natasha didn’t.

 

Mommy.

She couldn’t get it out of her head. And she just kept turning it over in her mind when she saw Pietro lying there, while the regeneration worked its magic. Helen smiled encouragingly and said it looked like he was going to be fine, and might even be awake by the end of that week.

“That’s great,” Natasha said. Although she meant it, it came out halfheartedly, “Wanda misses him a lot.”

“I saw her today,” Helen shrugged, “She seemed okay to me. I mean, we know he’s gonna be fine now.”

“She wasn’t fine last night.”

“Yeah, I heard her crying. Steve said you went in to calm her down, right?”

Natasha bit her lip. She didn’t know if if was going to be betraying some kind of secret if she told Helen what had happened-maybe the whole “mommy” thing was some kind of secret kink. Then again, she trusted Helen, and come to think of it, Wanda probably would too, at least once she got to know her better. She sat down in a swivel chair and said under her breath, “You probably shouldn’t bring this up, because I don’t know if it’s gonna embarrass her or something.”

Helen raised an eyebrow, “Okay.”

“Okay. She called me her mom.”

“What?”

“I think she thought I was her mother. Mommy, to be exact,” Natasha sighed, “I swear to God, that’s one situation I never thought I’d be in.”

“Uh…” Helen cleared his throat, “Did you talk to her about it?”

She shrugged, “I want to. But it’s not like any of us know each other super well at this point, so I don’t know if it would be weird to bring it up.”

“Maybe it’s like a sexual thing.”

“I thought it might be,” she shrugged, “How the fuck do you ask about that?”

“You’re the master interrogator, not me.”

 

Just fucking ask her. 

It was half past eleven, and Wanda was about to go to sleep. She had already said her goodnights and gone into her room, and Natasha was just standing there in front of it, hand raised to knock. 

She hated being nervous. She hardly ever got nervous about anything, especially when it had to do with “people problems”. After all, most of her job was spent getting information out of other human beings. Didn’t make it any easier when she knocked and Wanda opened the door.

“Hey,” Natasha said, “Mind if I come in?”

Wanda looked hesitant, “It’s late.”

“I need to talk to you. And you know what about.”

They stood there, each avoiding the other’s gaze for a good two minutes before Wanda stepped aside and ushered Natasha into the room. She hadn’t done much in the way of decorating so far, other than putting a vase of flowers near a desk in the corner. Natasha sat on the bed, “Talk.”

“Natasha, I am so sorry.”

Natasha put her hand up, “I’m not mad, Wanda. I’m just curious about where the hell that came from.”

Wanda flushed and sat next to her, eyes cast downward, “I don’t know.”

“Really? You don’t know why you called me-”

“Don’t say it!” Wanda said a little too loudly, “I said I was sorry, and I don’t want to talk about it anymore.”

“Well, we’re gonna have to talk about it at some point.”

Wanda put her hands on her knees and leaned forward, “I just…I was lonely. It’s not about sex.”

Okay. That was one question answered. Natasha reached out and touched her shoulder, “What is it then? Do you…” she cleared her throat, “Do you need a mom? Does that help you deal with your emotions or something?”

“Kinda. Pietro usually takes care of me. He’s not really like my father,” she said hurriedly, at the look on Natasha’s face, “But it’s like the same idea. I need him.”

“I kinda thought you were the one who took care of him.”

She shook her head, “I try to keep him grounded, because if nobody does, all he’ll ever do is land himself in trouble. But when it comes down to it, I like to be his-” she cut herself off, “You know what I mean.”

“But the parent thing has never actually come up before.”

“No. I’m sorry, I don’t know why I said that. I’ve never called him dad or anything,” she buried her face in her hands, “God, I can’t believe I fucked up this bad.”

Natasha frowned, “Hey, you didn’t fuck anything up. You like having someone take care of you. It’s not the worst thing in the world.”

“That doesn’t change that fact that it’s weird, and I shouldn’t have dragged you into it!” She stood abruptly, “Look, I don’t know what happened to me last night, but it’s over. Just forget about all of this.”

“But-”

“Please,” Wanda looked like she was about to cry, “Just go.”

 

 

“Yeah, she didn’t handle it really well.”

Helen didn’t glance away from her book, “Something tells me that handling her problems in an emotionally healthy way isn’t exactly her thing.”

Natasha was lying with her on the couch, with her head in Helen’s lap, and her legs crossed, “She’s so hard to read, you know? And she’s really emotional, so you’d think it would be easy, but it’s not. I wish Pietro would wake up.”

“Me too. It’ll be soon. You know, he got shot very badly, the process is going to take longer.”

“I know. I just feel like I’m supposed to do something with her, and I don’t know what.”

Helen finally set her book down, “Why don’t you just go with it? She doesn’t want to be alone, so don’t make her be alone.”

“Are you serious?”

“It won’t be for long. Her brother will wake up and take care of her again.”

Natasha sat up, “She told me to forget about it.”

“Probably because she believes you think less of her because of it.”

Natasha already knew that, “So what do you want me to do?”

“She cried last night you know, after you left. I think she has nightmares when the brother isn’t there-or she just gets them all the time and he knows how to calm her down. Point is, she’s gonna need someone there, so be that person. She’ll probably thank you in the long run.”

“She’d better,” Natasha muttered.

 

Wanda cried in her sleep again. She cried for her brother. 

Natasha heard, because she stayed up waiting to hear it. And when she tiptoed across the hall, once again shooing Steve back into his room, hissing “I’ll handle it” she could feel her heart banging wildly in her chest. This was stupid. This was a stupid thing to freak out about. She’d gone in and woken Steve up when he had dreams about the war. This was hardly any different. 

She found Wanda the way she had the night before last, writhing, sobbing, and kicking. Natasha walked over to her and knelt by the bed, putting a hand on the brunette’s face and stroking her cheekbone with her finger, “Wake up, sweetheart.”

It hurt to see the girl in so much pain, but a small part of Natasha didn’t want her to wake up. Maybe it was better to leave her there to wait it out instead of shaking her awake and receiving none of the comfort she needed. So when she did come out of her dream, shaking and sweaty, Natasha almost felt an instinct to simply say that Wanda had been having a nightmare, and she’d thought she’d wake her up, no harm done, go back to sleep. 

But that wasn’t what she needed. So Natasha stroked her hair and whispered, “Mama’s here, malyutka. It’s okay, I won’t let anything hurt you.”

Wanda looked confused at first, then terrified, “Natasha…”

“Shhh. I’m going to take care of you tonight. Don’t you worry about a thing.”

Wanda looked wary for a moment, but didn’t seem to have the strength to resist, and fell into Natasha’s arms, “I was so scared, Mama.”

“I know, baby. You’re okay, Mama’s got you.”

This should have felt wrong. It should have felt weird. But Natasha looked down, and God, it was almost comforting to see Wanda safe and secure in her arms. She had someone to protect, someone she could protect. Someone who was letting her take care of them, and she liked it.

She could have held this girl in her arms forever. After half an hour, Wanda had nearly fallen asleep, but before she completely drifted off, Natasha heard her whisper, “I’m glad.”

“About what?”

A moment’s hesitation, then, “I’m glad that you’re my mama. Even if it’s just for tonight.”

Does it have to be just tonight?

Natasha said, “I’m glad I’m your mama, too.”

Because in that moment, they were both so safe, and so good. At the beginning of the night, they had been teetering at the edge of oblivion and finding what they had both been looking for. Right now, they had found it. 

 

Interesting thing about Wanda-when she went into the kind of “childlike” state she had spent the previous night in, she ended up sucking her thumb. Natasha opened her eyes to find her that way the next morning, and smiled. She tugged on Wanda’s hair gently, “Hey there, kid. Having fun?”

Wanda blushed, “Sorry.”

“No, don’t be,” Natasha met her eyes, “I think I’m starting to get it. You like being younger sometimes.”

“That sums it up quite well, I guess.”

“And Pietro? Is he…” Natasha cleared her throat, “He’s aware of all this, right?

“He knows,” Wanda let her hand drop to her side, “He and I have been like that for a really long time. Since we were fifteen, I’ve been kinda like his little girl. And look, I really am sorry. What if it’s weird now?”

“I said don’t be sorry. I mean, it’s not like this is kinky for us or anything. Is it a sex thing for you and Pietro?”

“Sometimes it is, and sometimes it isn’t,” Wanda shrugged, “It’s kind of complicated.”

“Jesus,” Natasha groaned, “Exactly how into it are you?”

Wanda rolled her eyes, “We don’t do any of the stuff I know you’re thinking about.”

“Can’t blame me for wondering.”

“No, I guess not,” Wanda leaned into Natasha’s arms again and asked, “Did you really want that to be just once?”

“No,” she answered honestly, “It would be nice if I could be your mom. You know, especially when Pietro’s not around. If both of you are okay with it.”

“I am. He probably will be too, as long as you don’t tell anyone about it. You didn’t tell anyone, did you?”

Natasha winced, “Well…Helen knows.”

Wanda’s eyes widened, “What?”

“Hey, I’m sorry. I didn’t know what was going on with you the other night and I trust her! I promise, she won’t say anything. She’s the one who told me to come here in the first place.”

“Oh,” Wanda laced her fingers together, “She seems nice.”

“She really is.”

“Is she your girlfriend?”

Natasha snorted, “I wish. I don’t know. It’s-”

“Complicated.”

“Yeah.”

 

Wanda should have been the one who was there when Pietro woke up, but as it turned out, she had made a midnight food run with Tony and Thor. Helen was there, and she told Natasha to come see him while Steve called to tell the others to come home. 

“He’s perfectly fine,” Helen said as soon as Natasha walked in, “Already up and running.”

Thank God. Natasha breathed a sigh of relief and said, “Hey, Pietro.”

He stopped moving around the lab for a moment and offered her a smile, “Hi.”

“Good to see you awake. Helen, could you give us a moment?”

The doctor nodded and left the room. Natasha raised her eyebrows at Pietro, “Recovered?”

“I’m sure Barton is going to be disappointed.”

Natasha laughed, “Trust me, you two are a lot alike. He’ll grow on you.”

“I can’t promise that I’ll grow on him.” 

Taking a deep breath, Natasha said, “You know you were out for a few days, right?”

“Doctor Cho told me. Why?”

“I just wanted you to know that your baby missed you.”

Pietro froze, and for the first time since she’d met him, Natasha saw something that looked like fear pass over his face. The lab became uncomfortably quiet, and Natasha felt a little like she had when she had talked to Wanda about this-uncomfortable, nervous, and just desperate for the other one to say something so the situation would be less awkward. Pietro seemed to be waiting for her to do the same thing, but before she could say anything, he asked, “How did you find out?”

“She woke up crying for you every night.”

Pietro swore under his breath and clenched his fist, “And?”

“She called me her mom.”

“She what?”

“It wasn’t in that kind of way!” Natasha said quickly, “She kept telling me how much she wants you back. I just ended up looking after her when she needed it.”

He put his hands up, “Okay, look. I don’t expect you to understand any of it, but-”

“Did you hear a thing I just said? I don’t have a problem with it.”

Pietro glared at her, “You really expect me to believe you’re going to keep your mouth shut about it?”

“I like doing it, so yes!”

Before he could respond Helen opened the door and ushered Wanda inside, who flung herself into her brother’s arms, “Don’t you ever do that to me again!”

He held her tightly, lifting her off the ground just a little, “Never again, I promise. I’m fine, Wanda.”

“I thought I had lost you forever.”

“I know,” he was speaking almost too quietly to hear now, "I’m so sorry.”

All Natasha could think was that so was she.

 

Natasha Romanov was seriously starting to piss herself off. 

This was stupid. This was so stupid. She didn’t know Wanda super well, things were finally getting back to normal, and she wanted to fuck it all up by playing mommy to a twenty one year old? She had her fucking brother-boyfriend, or whatever he was-to do all that now. It had been two weeks since Pietro had woken up, and she hadn’t really gotten the time or guts to speak to Wanda in all that time.

Helen had helped. She understood Natasha in a way not a lot of people had before, with her encouraging smiles, words of wisdom, and how she kept everyone knowing she was there for them when they needed it. Steve had started to drop hints that she should ask the doctor out, but at this point, Natasha just wasn’t sure.

And she was usually so sure about everything. What the hell was it about loving people that fucked up your mind so badly?

Someone was knocking on her bedroom door. Natasha looked up from her phone, “Who is it?”

  “It’s me.”

Damn it. Natasha wanted to feel annoyed, but it was honestly impossible. Wanda generally had a pretty soft voice, but it took on another quality when she was being young. Natasha wasn’t sure what it was, but it was hard to resist, so she relented, “Come in.”

Wanda stepped inside cautiously. Her hands were clasped together, her hair was messy, and her nightgown was falling off of her shoulder. She actually looked about as disheveled and nervous as Natasha felt. When she spoke, her voice was shaky, “I came to say goodnight, Mama.”

Natasha’s heart stood still.  
The younger girl was looking at the ground, and didn’t meet Natasha’s eyes until she said, “I’m glad you came to see me, malyutka. I…” she trailed off, “I want to spend more time with you.”

“Really?”

  “Yes. Give me a hug, sweetheart.”

Wanda’s face broke into a smile as she put her arms around Natasha, who in turn, squeezed her gently, “Mama missed having her kid around.”

“I missed you too.”

In spite of herself, Natasha frowned,“What about Pietro?”

Someone cleared their throat, and Natasha looked up to see the man in question standing in the doorway, arms crossed, “We talked about it.”

“And?”

“I’m glad she has someone to look after her when I’m not around. But,” he stood a little straighter, “You don’t tell anyone other than Helen.”

“Scout’s honor,” Natasha said, rocking Wanda in her arms a bit. After a moment’s pause, she added, “Thank you, Pietro.”

“Thank her,” he shrugged, “She makes all the decisions, trust me.”

Natasha was sure that was true. She let go of Wanda and told her, “Go on, kid. I think your boyfriend wants you.”

Wanda reached out to touch Pietro’s arm and pressed a kiss to his cheek, “I am glad that he does.”

Pietro’s eyes softened, just as they always did when he was talking to Wanda, and he lifted her into his arms. In a flash, they were gone. 

It didn’t matter. She’d see them tomorrow, and that thought made a smile impossible to keep off her face.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Pietro and Natasha are gone, Wanda's powers and emotions get the better of her. Luckily, Helen Cho is a rockstar.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lots of Maxicest in this, but don't worry, we still see Natasha and Wanda interacting. Also, I tried to write what I think it would be like in Wanda's head a lot of the time, especially when she's out of control. Sorry if I did a bang up job.

Before they were experimented on by Hydra and joined the Avengers, Pietro and Wanda had a rule-they were never going to separate, ever, end of discussion. They could barely handle being apart from each other for more than half an hour.

That rule had to be broken now. The team usually went on missions together, but there did come times when they needed just a few of them specifically. Wanda and Thor had already been sent together once, to fight some woman who called herself Morgan Le Fay. Thankfully, they had finished her off pretty quickly and weren’t even gone for a whole day-a relief, since Wanda had worried she was going to slip into her younger state without Pietro or Natasha there. 

Just a few weeks later, she had to worry about that again, since the two most important people in her life, and Clint had all been called in for some kind of stealth requiring mission. And it was expected to take at least three days. 

When Pietro had told her, she had sobbed in his arms for what felt like forever.

“I don’t want you to go.”

“I know, baby girl. I’m so sorry,” he kissed the top of her head, “Trust me, the last thing I want to do is be away from you.”

“What if you don’t come back?”

She felt him tense up. Pietro hated the thought of leaving Wanda alone in this world. It was one reason he had started to warm up to the fact that Natasha and Helen were in on the whole thing-at least Wanda would have someone to take care of her if something happened to him. Still, that didn’t make the thought any less scary.

“I promise, everything will be fine. I’ll be back, and your mom will be too. Just hold on for a few days. And Helen will be here if you need anything, remember?”

“I’m gonna miss you.” 

He sighed, “I’m gonna miss you too. So much. But I need you to be a big girl for me, just for a little while, okay?”

_Say okay._

“Yeah,” she stuck her thumb in her mouth and snuggled into his chest, “Okay.”

 

Wanda tried not to cling to either Pietro or Natasha when they left, but that didn’t mean she didn’t feel like she was on the brink of tears, slipping close, far too close to being little. She had been sure she was going to be able to keep it together, and for a few hours, she did. She trained with Sam and Rhodey, watched a movie with a few other members of the team, and made it through dinner without breaking down. But by the end of the night, it was too much.

She’d never ever spent a night away from Pietro (not counting their time with Hydra and when he had been in recovery, which she didn’t, since she had cried every night they were apart). And now it was just sinking in that she was really alone. Mama wasn’t even there. Helen had promised she would try to be by later, but she had a lot of work to do at another lab, helping a man named Hank Pym. 

Wanda couldn’t help it, and burst into tears. 

“Jesus,” Tony said, raising an eyebrow, “I know you’re attached to him, but it’s not the end of the world.”

She wiped her eyes, “I-I know. I’m sorry. I just…need a minute.”

Before anyone could say anything, she ran to her room and locked the door, her breath coming in shakily. Her hands were starting to glow red, the room began to shake, and God, her heart was beating so loudly she felt as if she could hear it.

 _Get it together, don’t freak out you can’t youshouldntjustgetagripgetagripgetagripkeepitinsideeverythingisokay_ -

“Wanda?” Pepper was knocking on the door, “What’s going on? Are you okay?”

yes _yes yes its fine im just alone and its fine its fine i promise i am okay_

“I’m fine!” It came out much louder than intended. She heard some more voices at the door, one much deeper than the others-Thor. He asked, “Should I break it down?”

“No!” Pepper snapped.

Tony joined in, “I don’t like the idea, but the entire hall is shaking. You want her to collapse the tower?”

_i could do that couldnt i yes i could i could take it all down all down all down_

 

_and_

 

 _they_ _are_

 

_gone_

 

_yes they are gone they arent here you are alone so alone_

She managed to move herself forward on her hands and knees. It shouldn’t be this hard. 

_don’t leave me don’t leave me don’t leave please please please_

No. She was going to hurt someone if she couldn’t get a fucking grip. She didn’t need anyone there. She could sleep by herself. She could.

The sound of glass breaking suddenly filled the room, and she resisted the urge to scream as the shards flew dangerously close to her head. The mirror on her wall had broken. Within seconds, the door flew open-Pepper must have relented and let Thor kick it in. 

_don’t be small_

 

_you are not_

 

_youarenotyouarenot_

 

_you are not anything_

Pepper was kneeling next to her, “Wanda, what happened?”

She shook her head and backed up against the wall, “I-I want my brother.”

Pepper sighed, “I’m sorry. You guys aren’t used to being apart, huh?”

It was the worst feeling in the world, when she tried to choke out what she wanted, what she needed, but everything inside was being held down by an invisible force, a cold, cruel hand that wanted her to shut up and destroy everything. 

 

_c—c-a-l-m-m-m_

 

_no_

 

_no_

 

_nononononono_

“Wanda?”

The voice was familiar-it wasn’t as comforting as Pietro or Mama’s, but it was suddenly acting as a sort of lifeline, connecting her back to them. And when gentle hands, not that much bigger than hers touched her face, she knew who it was. 

Helen had promised she would come. And she had.

“It’s okay, sweetie,” she whispered, “Guys, can you give me a minute with her?”

Pepper looked hesitant, but considering the fact that Wanda had calmed down considerably in the last few seconds, she, Tony, and Thor left the room. Helen put her hands on Wanda’s face, stroking her cheekbones and said, “You miss your brother?”

Wanda nodded shakily.

“So do I, and your mom. They’ll be back soon, though. And you know something?”

“What?”

“He misses you too. So when you’re thinking of him, just remember that he’s probably thinking of you, and you won’t feel so lonely.” 

“You really think he misses me?”

“Are you kidding? You’re the center of his universe.”

“Does Mommy miss me too?”

“Oh, I know she does,” Helen put an arm around her and led her to the bed, “Now, I know it won’t be the same, but maybe if I stay with you for a little while, it’ll help? And don’t you have your cat?”

“Lorna,” Wanda said in surprise. She wasn’t a real cat, just a tiny stuffed animal that Pietro had given her when she had started being young a lot. It was the one thing Hydra let her keep when she had gone through the experiments, and she still had it, “She’s under my pillow right now.”

Helen smiled as she reached under and handed Lorna over, “She looks happy to see you.”

Wanda clutched the cat to her chest as she lay down and let Helen pull the blankets over her. She was calm now, at least as calm as she could get when Pietro and Natasha weren’t there. Helen stroked her hair and asked, “What do they do to help you fall asleep?”

“They sing. And give hugs.”

“You want me to do that?”

Wanda looked nervous, “C-can you?”

“Yes, honey. Of course I can.”

 

_you are okay_

 

_youareokay_

 

_you are okay_

 

_good_

 

_go-od_

 

_good_

 

_you are okay_

 

_i am okay_

 

_i promise_

 

Helen found excuses to spend the next few days at the tower extensively-not that anyone was complaining. Wanda managed to keep her emotions in check for the most part, but having Helen there was good. She was a source of small comfort, and while she knew nothing was going to replace her brother, it was enough for now. 

“You don’t have to do this,” Wanda said one day, as she watched Helen work in the lab.

The doctor looked up, confused, “I don’t have to do what?”

“You know,” she waved her hands, “Babysit me and all that.” 

“Oh!” Helen smiled, “I know. Can you pass me that vial, please?”

Wanda did, but she frowned, “Then why are you?”

“Because I care about you,” she poured the vial into another test tube and her eyes lit up as she watched the chemicals mix together, “Wanda, you are a very nice person. That’s all the reason I need.”

“But-”

“But nothing. You’ve got the two of them wrapped around your finger, and I’m starting to get there as well,” she shook her head, “It’s like magic. Maybe I should start calling you Glinda.”

“Who?”

“She’s a good witch. I’ll have to read you The Wizard of Oz one of these days.”

Before Wanda could ask if there was a bad witch too, Tony poked his head in, “Hey. Your brother and your girlfriend are back, guys.”

Helen blushed, but Wanda just felt her heart soar as she grabbed the doctor’s hand and rushed outside, to where Tony had set up a launching and landing area for the plane. The three agents were stepping off, and contrary to what Wanda had expected, none of them looked tired at all, or like they had been beat up.

_they’re okay! it’s okay you guys are alright you can keep them safe it’s all really okay it is it is it is oh it is all okay._

Wanda flung herself into Pietro’s arms and let him spin her around. She shrieked with laughter and relief, noticing Natasha kissing Helen out of the corner of her eye. When he put her down, Pietro pulled his sister close and picked her up, carrying her to their room in a blur. As soon as she was sure they were alone, Wanda burst out, “I missed you sooo much!”

“Oh, sweetheart,” he held her on his lap, letting his fingers run through her hair, “I missed you too. Were you okay?”

Wanda decided not to worry him about the whole window shattering, tower shaking, emotional breakdown, so she just shook her head and stuck her thumb in her mouth, “I was good.”

He kissed her cheek, “Good.”

Wanda couldn’t help but feel guilty, but let any of her feelings of unhappiness wash away as she lay down next to her brother and let him pull her close to his chest. She wanted to cry, and she wasn’t sure what the reasoning behind that was, but it didn’t matter. She held it in, instead whispering, “I got a little scared.”

“Did you have bad dreams?”

She nodded, “Helen helped, but I really missed you.”

He held her a little tighter, “I am so sorry, baby girl. I know it must have been scary.”

“Pietro, I need to talk to you. Now.”

Helen. Wanda’s heart sank. Of course, she was going to have to tell him about what had happened, and if she didn’t, some other member of the team was going to. Pietro stood up and said, “Why don’t you say hi to your mom, yeah?”

As he left, Natasha entered, her face serious, “Wanda.”

“Hi, Mommy.”

She sighed, “Helen told me everything. Was it that bad?”

Wanda didn’t answer, just turned her face into the pillow, “I didn’t wanna worry you.”

“Baby,” Natasha sat next to her, rubbing her back, “Of course I’m worried, I’m your mom. Did you tell your brother?”

“No,” Wanda groaned, “She’s gonna tell him, isn’t she?”

“She has to, sweetie. So he knows that he needs to take really good care of you now.”

“He’ll get too worried. He always does.”

“Worrying about you is his job.”

“Well, he shouldn’t be so good at it.”

Natasha burst out laughing and ruffled her hair, “You are too adorable sometimes,” then, more seriously, “Did anything help?”

“Helen did. And Lorna.”

“Okay. Good to know. I’m glad you and Helen get along.You know, she really likes you.”

“I like her too.”

Pietro opened the door, letting it slam against the wall. Wanda looked up in terror, just in time to see Natasha giving him _a look._

“Don’t talk to her if you’re not going to be calm about it. She didn’t tell you because she didn’t want to scare you.”

“I know,” Pietro said, “Come here, Wanda.”

Natasha helped her girl up and pushed her gently towards her brother before leaving. Wanda stared at the ground until Pietro said, “Look at me.”

She tilted her head upwards, eyes brimming with tears, “Don’t be mad, I’m sorry! I should have told you.”

“Yes, you should have,” he brushed her hair out of her face, “Honey, we’ve talked about this. I can’t help you if you don’t tell me what’s going on.”

“I don’t even know what happened,” she said softly, “Everything hit me really hard. It was too much, and I was _so scared,”_ the tears were starting to come now, “I was so scared, I just wanted you!”

“Shhh,” he picked her up again, this time letting her wrap her legs around his waist and bury her face in his neck, “It’s okay, my baby. I’m here now.”

“Don’t leave,” she sniffed, even though she knew it was a stupid request.

“Not going anywhere. I’m staying here with you. Oh, sweetheart,” his voice broke a little, “I’m so sorry I wasn’t here.”

“Don’t be sorry. Just be here now.”

“No, I should have been here. I should never have left you alo-” he stopped, “Never mind. What do you want me to do? We can do whatever you want.”

“Can we watch a movie? With Mama and Helen?”

He kissed her, “Yes, I’m sure they’d love that.”

 

Later that night, just as _Cinderella_ was ending, and Helen was wiping tears from her eyes (she cried at every single movie ever) Wanda felt herself about to drift off to sleep in Pietro’s arms. Before she stepped into her other world though, she heard Natasha say, “She is such a sweet girl.”

Pietro kissed Wanda’s hair, and she could feel him smiling “She really is. Aren’t you, sweetheart?”

 

_you are okay_

_we are good_

_good_

_a_

_n_

_d_

_it’s_

_new a-n-d_

_perfect-t-t_

_we_

_are_

_here it is okay it is good it is safe_

_i love you_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IDK man, I wrote this at three in the morning.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A mission gone badly wrong throws Wanda and Clint into a living hell.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I updated the tags, so check them out before you read this. However, I will say that I'm not like an incredibly hardcore writer or anything. The Violence/Torture may be pretty mild to some people? I guess it depends on the person. Also, some vomiting. 
> 
> Also, this chapter features two villains-Madcap and Purple Man. Here are their Wikipedia pages in case anyone gets confused.
> 
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madcap_(comics)
> 
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Purple_Man
> 
> This actually has some plot in it (oops). If the action sequences don't make sense...sorry, I'm awful at writing them.

Pietro didn’t need to be in Wanda’s mind to know that it could be a fucked up place to be. Lately, she had been having a harder time keeping control of her powers, and making an active effort to be older. It broke his heart, knowing that more than often than not, she needed to be his baby girl and she couldn’t be. 

She and Clint were being sent on a mission to apprehend two people, who for one reason or another, had teamed up to go on some kind of insane killing spree. One of them was named Zebidah Killgrave, and the other simply called himself Madcap. They were weird, no doubt, but they were also incredibly dangerous. And even though Wanda was an Avenger, it didn’t stop Pietro from constantly wishing she could just stay at home when it came to stuff like this. So did Natasha.

“Mama doesn’t want you to go,” she kissed Wanda’s hair before she left, “I’ll miss you too much.”

“I’ll miss you too, Mom,” whenever Wanda was feeling older, Natasha became “Mom” instead of Mama or Mommy, “Don’t worry, I can handle this.”

“Aw, I know you can. Just be careful, okay? I don’t wanna get stuck with just your brother. He’s not as fun.”

“I heard that,” Pietro said as he zoomed into the bedroom, “And I think we all know which one of us here is the most fun.”

“You’re right,” Natasha grinned as she handed Lorna to Wanda so she could tuck her in her bag, “It’s obviously the cat.”

“Got me there. Wanda, are you sure you’re going to be okay?”

She sighed, “I’m _fine,_ Pietro. I’m not a baby.” 

_Not right this instant, you’re not._

_But in an hour? In half an hour? In five minutes?_

_You’ve been trying too hard._

“Call if you feel like you’re going to be little, and one of us will talk to you. And if it gets really…out of control, we can talk to Clint.”

Wanda’s mouth dropped open, “No! You can’t tell him!”

“Honey, we just want you to feel safe. If I tell him, he’ll listen,” Natasha said, “But if all goes well, we won’t have to worry about that. Now, give me a hug. I love you.”

Wanda smiled and embraced her mother quickly, “Bye, Mom. I love you too.”

Pietro walked with her to the Quinjet, where Clint was waiting, weapons slung over his shoulder, “Hey, Wands. Ready to go?”

She nodded, and clung to Pietro’s hand just a little bit, starting to shake. He took her in his arms and kissed her forehead, whispering, “You’re my sweet, brave girl. I love you so much.”

“Love you too.” God, she was trying so hard to be big, and he just wanted to pick her up and take her back to bed, hold her and tell her it was okay to let it out, to be his little girl. He wanted to sing her to sleep, kiss her, spin her around because she just loved it when he did that. He wanted to keep her home, safe in his arms where she belonged. 

Instead, he had to let go.

“Goodbye,” he said a little louder, as she boarded the plane, “Be safe.”

It came out as part of a friendly goodbye, a simple request for her to look out for herself. 

It felt more like he was begging. 

 

 

Killgrave and Madcap had been tracked to a place that was apparently just as creepy as they were-some old mansion that was owned by a billionaire who was currently out of the country. It was a very ugly house, and looked out of place next to the otherwise modernized homes on the rest of the street. 

_ok you are going in there it will be okay you know where what who you are you know its good_

“I want to be out of here before the night’s over,” Clint said, “I’m going to get to a vantage point, okay? I’ll shoot if I see anything, but I think you’ve probably got this. Remember that guy we fought last time? Man, he didn’t know what hit him.”

Wanda smiled a little, “Let’s hope this goes just as well. See you soon.”

She stepped up to the front door cautiously and extended her hand, watching the lock start to glow red. In an instant, she had pulled it open and slipped inside the dark hallway. There were voices coming from up the stairs-one of them high pitched, almost playful, but somehow still incredibly menacing. The other was just as sinister, while taking on the more traditional tone of a calculating killer-smooth, sharp, and professional. 

“….should never have agreed to help you, the money wasn’t worth it for taking part in whatever sick acts get you off-”

“I wouldn’t go judging,” replied the happy voice, “Don’t pretend you don’t like it too! He was a nice boy-now he’ll be even nicer!”

Clint buzzed in, “Wanda what’s your status?”

She hissed, “I can hear them. Hold on, and don’t say a word.”

Wanda raised her hands and let them illuminate the hallway as she crept forward up the stairs, heart pounding. With any luck, she’d just be able to incapacitate them before they even saw her, but the creaking floor made it hard. She froze as soon as she heard the voices stop. 

“Did you hear that?” asked the Professional One.

The Happy One giggled, “Don’t be so paranoid!”

“I’m not the one who can’t die!” he snapped, “Listen.”

Wanda was by the door now, ready to take any one of them out at a moments notice. She heard footsteps walking towards her, clicking on the floor in a terrifying pattern that seemed to say, _“I’m  coming for you for you for you for you.”_

_No don’t think that. Get it together._

_For you for you for you for you_

The steps stopped, then started moving further away. Wanda frowned, confused, then jumped at the sudden the sound of glass shattering and Clint shouting in pain. She ran into the room, shooting a blast of energy at the first figure she saw. He was knocked to the ground, then laughed out loud, “Say, I heard about you! Madame Mind Games, right? We’ll have some fun together!”

“Where’s Clint?”

“My friend went to get him! Well, I say friend, but he’s really _so boring,”_ he sighed dramatically, “I hope you two are more fun! Oh, we’ll have fun, right?” 

Wanda suddenly found herself rooted to the spot. She opened her mouth to scream, but nothing came out, and her mind was ablaze. It hurt.

_ke_

_eep_

_i_

_t_

_t_

_ogeth_

_eerrrr_

_Welcome!_

Everything went black.

 

 

Wanda woke up shivering, her face pressed against a stone cold floor. Clint was lying passed out a few feet away from her. As things came more into focus, she saw that he was covered in blood and barely awake.

“Clint,” she croaked out, “C-can you move?”

He stirred slightly, but said nothing. Wanda found that no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t get up. It was like some invisible force was holding her body to the floor. She felt fingers on her hair, stroking it. For a moment, she was reminded of Pietro or Mama, who always did that when they cuddled with her. But this wasn’t like that. The fingers were cold, almost harsh, and they sent chills down her spine. 

God, she was in so much pain. She could feel blood spilling out of her arm, vomit in her mouth, something stabbing in her leg. The fingers stopped moving for a moment, and the voice, the happy voice, said, “You won’t be gone for long!”

_i want my brother i want my mama please please please get us out of this_

“I’m gonna kill you,” she said, the words slurred. 

“Not yet, you’re not! Actually, not ever. You’re pretty, Madame Mind Games. Your friend is fun too!” 

He finally dropped to one knee in front of her, so she could see exactly what he looked like. He was out of place in the cold, dark room, which she now realized was probably the basement that hadn’t been put to a lot of use until now.

The man was Madcap-she had seen his picture before they went on the mission. His clothing and mask, bright yellow and purple, and some odd shade of red almost glowed in the dark. 

In fact, they were. Everything was getting brighter, and it hurt. Wanda screamed as the room seemed to shatter around her. The light was crashing down, everything was crashing down-

_you are okay you will be okay_

_nonononononooooo_

She was standing now. She was no less in pain, but she was standing in a meadow. It was bright and sunny, and _looked_ pretty, but the aroma of all the flowers was too overwhelming. Clint was standing by a nearby tree.

“What happened?” he asked. 

“I don’t know,” Wanda rocked on her heels and winced. Something had cut in her arm, and now she was probably bleeding out there too, “I wanna go home.”

“Yeah, me too.”

“This probably isn’t real, you know,” she pointed out, “I mean, this is probably just in my head, so I’m talking to a Clint in my head. The real you might be seeing a different vision right now.”

“Oh,” he looked oddly disappointed, “What would I be seeing?”

Before she could answer, the meadow had disappeared and she was lying on the ground again, mouth wide open, with nothing coming out except for some blood trickling down her cheek. She couldn’t say anything, couldn’t scream when Madcap stepped on her fingers and she heard them crack. She could hear Clint screaming, although she just wasn’t sure about what. Another voice overtook it though-Killgrave. He snapped, “Just get it over with while we still have the chance. I can’t hold her for much longer.”

“I want to keep them,” whined Madcap, “They’re annoying, and we’ll have fun!”

“This whole thing was fucking pointless,” Killgrave snarled, “I’m leaving.”

“Don’t you remember why you agreed to this in the first place?”

“I think we can now both agree that the money wasn’t nearly enough for me to have to watch you get a hard on from cutting people up.”

“Just give me a little more time! I’m not bored yet. We can go when I’m done.”

Killgrave sighed, and the room shattered again. This time, Wanda found herself in a hospital bed, wearing a straightjacket, and vomiting blood uncontrollably. After she stopped, she collapsed backwards, looking up at the ceiling. Madcap’s face stared down at her, “Hello, there! I’m having fun! I bet you’re not having fun, are you?”

_pietro please come find me i need you i need you im alone im scared and hes going to hurt us_

Another jolt of terrible pain went through Wanda’s body, and she cried out. Madcap laughed, “You are too much! I’m glad I found you two!”

“Why?” she managed to whisper.

“Why? Why? Why, because this world is fucked up beyond belief, and that’s all the reason I need. Now, your procedure isn’t done yet. You’re an exhausting patient, you know-I already tired out your friend.”

_nonononononononono_

“If he’s dead-”

“Oh, he’s not dead! I still want him for a little while longer. Just a little bit! But until he wakes up, we get to have fun!”

_use your powers use your powers_

But she couldn’t move anything anymore. A scalpel was circling around her face in the air, grazing her cheek and leaving a glistening red trail before digging into her shoulder.

_i will do anything to scream_

How long had she been here? Hours? Days? It didn’t matter. What mattered was getting out, getting Clint to safety. The hospital room was melting away, and the invisible force that was making her stay quiet and still was absolutely suffocating. There were the fingers again, running all over her body, and Madcap’s voice, saying, “Goodbye, friends. Goodbye, scum of the Earth. I hate every inch of your rotting flesh, but you were fun!”

“Let’s _go.”_ Killgrave said, sounding impatient.

“Alright, here we go!” Madcap said, his voice brimming with glee, “You first, Mr. Barton. One, two-”

_noyouarenotgoingtodothistousnotyouarenoticandestroyyouiwilliamgoingtotakeyouapart_

Wanda shrieked in pain as she used all her strength to force her body upwards and extend her hand. A blast of bright red energy shot out at Killgrave, shoving him into a wall. For a moment, Wanda thought that the red in his abdomen might just be a strange after effect of the hex, until it started to drip down and she realized it was blood. And just like that, any remaining force that had been holding her down was gone.

_don’t worry about that don’t worry about anything go get him stop-_

Wanda collapsed to her knees, scraping them on the stone floor, and watched the building begin to shake. Madcap was thrown off balance, just long enough for her to reach out for Clint’s hand.

“You just saved my life,” he choked out.

She wasn’t sure if she could speak, and even if she could, she wasn’t sure she wanted to. Her legs hurt too much to walk, so the two of them had to practically push each other up the stairs and out of the house. Madcap’s giggles were behind them, and Wanda could feel Clint growing more and more panicked.

“S’okay,” she finally managed, “I can…”

There was a hand on her shoulder. Not Clint, who yelled, “Look out!” and was promptly shoved forwards and towards the front door. Without anyone else to hang onto for support, Wanda fell down once again, this time hard on her back. 

That _fucking smile_ , looming over her, coming closer and closer…

_get out of my head. it’s a fucked up place to be._

_things are going to be okay, just hold onto each other, pull me out and i’ll take care of the rest, don’t worry about it, just run get somewhere safe._

The cool night air met her face, and the house erupted into flames. 

 

 

 

_no more meadows, no more hospitals, no more blood or anything that’s gonna hurt you. Because you are okay._

 

_o_

_ok_

 

_ju_

_sssss_

_t_

 

_o_

_k_

 

_i did it!_

 

_goodbye_

 

_i cannot_

 

_for get_

 

_to_

 

_s_

_a_

_y_

 

_goodbye_

_seeyoulaterimgonenowyouaregoneleavemealoneicanbeatyouiknowicanandyouarenothingatall_

There was a lot of shouting. Wanda didn’t want to open her eyes to see what it was, so she just started yelling. She yelled that to stay away from them, that she was going to hurt him if he didn’t stay back, that he had no power over her, none at all.

Now, someone was just talking to her, “Wanda, can you hear me?”

“It’s not you, is it?” she mumbled, without opening her eyes.

“It’s Helen, sweetie. Open your eyes, if you can.”

Wanda blinked slowly, feeling her heart fill with panic. She was in another hospital room (at least it was a real one) and Helen’s eyes, filled with fear, met her own. 

“Where’s Clint?” her voice was weak.

“He’s fine. He’s being stabilized now. They really did a number on him, and you too.”

“What happened? Did we-did we get them?”

“Killgrave is dead, and we couldn’t find any trace of Madcap.”

 _it hurts it hurts it hurts so much and i dont_ want _to be alone_

_and i feel so small_

_i don’t want to be alone_

“I want my brother,” Wanda said, starting to cry.

"Honey, just hold on-”

“No,” she was sobbing now, “I want-I _need_ my brother. I don’t want to be without him, I c-can’t be-please!”

“Alright, calm down,” Helen said soothingly. Turning to a nurse, she said, “Go get him,” to Wanda, she said, “The doctors said you’re going to heal. Your brother and your mama have been here for the entire day-we just made them go grab something to eat.”

Wanda was practically convulsing now, and her words came out slurred and hysterical, “I hate him! I hate him, he tried to k-k-kill us and I can’t…”

 

_hey, madame mind games, wanna play with me? it’ll be fun! wanna kill, because i know you can, you sick fucking freak._

 

_“Wanda!”_

She felt arms around her, she felt herself being lifted up, and yes, it hurt, everything hurt. But it hurt so much less now. Pietro was there, cradling her and holding her tight, “Wanda…”

He was practically crying himself, “I’m sorry. I am _so so_ sorry. I love you so much, Wanda.”

If there was ever a time when she just wanted to let go and be little, it was now. But there were nurses and doctors there. The team was probably right outside. 

Did she even care in this moment, if they knew?

Pietro apparently didn’t, since he whispered in her ear, “It’s okay, honey.”

Even if she had decided that she could try really hard and be big, Wanda’s mind was too much of a blur to care. She clung to him and sobbed, “It hurts!”

“I know,” his voice cracked, “Oh God, I know. It’s going to be okay.”

“I killed him.”

“Shhh,” he rubbed her back, “It’s okay, baby girl. You know what happened? You saved Clint’s life. You were so brave.”

Wanda didn’t feel brave. She didn’t want to be. She just wanted to stay with Pietro forever, his arms wrapped around her. He lay her down on the hospital bed again before lying down next to her and pulling her up to his chest. The hand with the broken fingers lay limply on the pillow-thank God it was her right instead of her left. Pietro cringed at the sight, and pressed a light kiss to her hair, “Your mommy is going to come see you soon, okay?”

Wanda nodded weakly, trying to keep herself from crying, “I got your shirt wet.”

“And I got my angel back. That’s all that matters. It’s okay to cry, baby girl.”

_nothing_

 

_nothing_

 

_nothing is okay_

 

_nothing_

_is_

_okay_

_madame_

 

Wanda and Clint had been allowed to go home about a week later. Both of them were still pretty weak, and it was definitive that they weren’t going to be going on any more missions for a little while. 

In the time that they had returned, Wanda had gained a more comprehensive idea of what had happened. Killgrave, who evidently had the ability to control people, had been killed by one of her hexes once she had somehow broken through his “spell”. She had managed to get Clint out of the house before her powers had gotten out of control and she blew the entire place up. Luckily, Shield had been called onto the scene already, and an agent named Daisy Johnson had managed to pull her out before the building collapsed on top of her completely. 

They still didn’t have any sort of reasoning behind Madcap’s actions, other than “ _he’s fucking insane”_ , and Wanda didn’t care. For now, the man was done killing. Maybe he’d try to swing back one day, but she had felt it-he had been scared. 

Wanda didn’t want to do anything. She couldn’t do anything. Pietro had always taken care of her, but not like this. She couldn’t shower on her own, which was humiliating. Sure, they’d had sex in the shower before, but this was obviously completely different. One day, as he washed the shampoo out of her hair, it became too much, to fucking much, because no matter how little she felt, she didn’t want to put him through this. She started bawling.

“Oh, Wanda,” he said softly, “What’s wrong?”

She just shook her head in an almost violent fashion, spraying tiny droplets of water everywhere, and hiding her face in her hands, “So sorry.”

“You have absolutely nothing to be sorry about, do you understand? Absolutely nothing.” Pietro lifted her out and set her on the ground, holding her face in his hands, “I don’t care what it’s about. If you need to cry, you cry. If you need someone to hold you, tell me. You need help with _anything,_ and you just have to ask. It’s nothing to be ashamed of, okay?”

Wanda nodded, trying to let the words comfort her, when at this point, she knew it just wasn’t okay, and she wasn’t sure if it would ever be okay. She leaned into Pietro’s touch as he pulled a large shirt over her head and kissed her cheek, “You ready to go to sleep?”

“I wanna sleep with you. Promise you’ll stay?”

“I promise,” he picked her up again and moved to their room in a blur as she stuck her thumb in her mouth. That made him smile a little bit, “You’re so perfect.”

Wanda kept herself close to him, terrified that he was going to let go. Even if Mommy could comfort her when she was scared, she always preferred having her brother there.

Pietro stroked her hair, and this time, it was okay. It was right, and she knew somebody loved her. Then he tickled her, just a little bit, and she giggled. Holding her closer, he said, “There’s my happy girl.”

“You make me happy. I love you.”

“I love you too. So much.”

“Can you sing?”

“What do you want me to sing?”

“Anything.”

“Alright,” he rubbed her back, and let silence overtake the room for a few minutes before his voice started to send her to sleep.

_“I see your true colors, shining through. Your true colors, and that’s why I love you. So don’t be afraid to let them show…”_

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I should be updating the other fic, I've just been struggling with it because it started before AOU came out, and even with canon divergence, it's just a little hard to write because now I know everything that happened. Does that make no sense? Probably.
> 
> Anywho, this was another fic I wrote late at night/early in the morning, so I apologize for errors and weirdness. It got dark fast. 
> 
> Any suggestions/prompts for future chapters? I only ask, because sometimes when I come up with stuff on my own, we get, well...this.
> 
> Also, I'm lazy.
> 
> And Pietro singing True Colors to Wanda is everything I need in life.
> 
> Oh! And if the fight sequences were confusing, Killgrave spotted Hawkeye and shot at him, which jumpstarted the whole getting captured thing.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While Wanda is on that mission with Clint from the previous chapter, Pietro and Natasha go out for coffee. Natasha learns more about some of what life for the twins used to be like, and there are feelings.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, thanks to a prompt from maximoffs_against_the_world (who is truly lovely person and awesome writer) it's flashback sequence time! While the events of the previous chapter are taking place, Pietro and Natasha bond and stuff, cuz that's where it's at, yo. Sorry for grammar errors, crappy whatever....you all know the drill. Also, some of the stuff that happens in here was inspired by my other fic.

_I am begging you to be be safe._

Wanda was powerful as hell, and Pietro didn’t lack any faith in her ability to get the job done. He just lacked faith in the rest of the world to keep her alive while she was doing it. 

Evidently, so did Natasha, because as soon as the Quinjet had taken off, she came up behind him and squeezed his hand in an effort at consolation for the two of them, “She’s going to be fine.”

“You know, just saying that doesn’t make it true.”

She sighed, “I know. But sometimes I think that if you tell yourself things enough times, you’ll start to believe it enough so it comes true-or at least you can delude yourself into thinking it is.”

“I don’t want to delude myself into thinking anything. I want _her_ to be safe.”

“They’re a couple of serial killers trying to make themselves look bigger than they are. Wanda can take them.”

He glared at her, “You know what the fuck I’m talking about. She can’t take them if she’s…you know.”

Natasha shrugged, “I don’t know. She surprises me all the time. It’s not like her powers go away when she’s little,” she slung an arm around his shoulders, “Hey, what do you say I buy you a coffee? My girlfriend’s gotta work, and I don’t feel like hanging out by myself.”

“Yeah,” Pietro sighed defeatedly, “Sounds good.”

 

 

Natasha looked at Pietro in a way that he hated. It was the way she looked at everyone, with that “I know things about you that even you don’t know” face. She was looking at him that way now, and he told her to cut it the hell out.

“Sorry,” she shrugged, taking a sip of her frappuccino and not looking sorry at all, “This should feel weirder than it does.”

“Good to know it doesn’t feel weird for _you_ ,” he said bitterly. While he and Natasha had been getting along very well as of late, that didn’t mean there hadn’t been a somewhat awkward transitional period where he hadn’t been trustful of her at all. They were only just getting past that, and it was mostly just because they both wanted Wanda to be happy, and it upset her when they fought all the time.

That wasn’t to say that Pietro didn’t like Natasha, or think she was a nice person-he did. It was only that the very idea that someone could so easily come into Wanda’s life when she was in her most vulnerable state, and hurt her terribly, whether it was physically or emotionally, was terrifying to him. 

It didn’t matter that she could fight back. He didn’t want her to have to.

“Pietro,” Natasha said, waving a hand in front of his face, “I was asking you something.”

He snapped out of it, “What?”

“I just had to know, how did it start? The whole thing with you guys, and then with her being little.”

“It’s kind of complicated. Some parts are actually pretty awful.”

“Oh. You don’t have to talk about it. I was just curious.”

“No,” with some effort, he met her eyes, “I guess you should know how it all started. We were fifteen.”

Natasha whistled, “That seems…awfully young for you to have to deal with that.”

It had been.

But he hadn’t minded.

 

 

_They were fifteen, and they were without everything but each other._

_It was nighttime, and they couldn’t hear the sounds of crickets chirping over the rush of traffic and voices around the city area. They stood on the curb, and Pietro held Wanda’s hand very tightly, because if he didn’t, one of them was going to get lost. Chances were, it wasn’t going to be her._

_“I’m tired,” he complained._

_Wanda looked at his sympathetically, “Me too. Just keep holding my hand. We can keep each other awake.”_

_“How?”_

_“Because if we’re touching, we’ll know for sure that the other one is there, and we won’t want to fall asleep, because if we don’t, we won’t miss a moment together.”_

_Those were comforting words, and Pietro kept them in mind gladly. They walked down a few more blocks, at first trying to find a place to sleep, and then just enjoying a very nice moment. Pietro put his arm around Wanda and said, “You’re my shadow. Wherever I go, you go.”_

_“It’s the other way around, too.”_

_“I know, but still.”_

_She laughed, “I guess I am like your shadow. What does that make you?”_

_“Your…person?”_

_“My person,” she agreed decidedly, “My favorite, only person.”_

_Pietro would have been happy with living the way they did if he had a guarantee that he could be her favorite, only person forever. He didn’t say it, but she knew it. Both of them knew it._

_After a while, they really did start to get very tired, and as they neared a broken down motel, Wanda stumbled a little bit. Pietro cringed and scooped her up into his arms. Some days, she would have protested, but other times, Wanda really liked being carried. Thankfully, this was one of those days. She leaned her head on his shoulder and let out a soft little sigh. His heart always melted when she did that._

_“You’re too tired,” he said, “Go to sleep.”_

_“You don’ t have to carry me,” she mumbled._

_“I know. Come on, close your eyes.”_

_He walked into the motel and up to the front desk. The woman sitting there had a name tag reading “Maya”. She looked harsh at first glance, but if you looked right at her for just a few seconds more, it became evident that she was actually just very tired._

_“Can I help you?” she asked._

_“My sister and I need a place to sleep. Just for one night?”_

_Maya looked sympathetic, but unsure. She bit her lip, “I’m sorry, but money is hard to come by these days.”_

_“Please? We’ll do work for you. Whatever you want.”_

_She considered for a few minutes, drumming her fingers on the desk, studying the two of them carefully. Wanda held onto her brother a little tighter, and he rocked her in his arms a little bit. Maya’s face softened._

_“One night, yeah?” she reached under the desk and pulled out a key, “Third door to your left. But you’ll need to be gone by nine tomorrow. I’m sorry, I wish I could help you more.”_

_“Thank you,” Pietro said gratefully, taking it, while still trying to balance his sister, “We really appreciate it.”_

_Maya nodded and went back to work while Pietro walked down the hall and attempted to set Wanda down, who just clutched at him and wouldn’t let go. With some effort, he managed to get the door open unlocked and kicked it open with his foot before slipping inside. There was a small bed in the corner, right next to a cracked window with tattered curtains. The floor creaked as he walked to set Wanda down._

_“Don’t,” she groaned, fingers gripping his shirt._

_“Just hold on, sweetheart, I need to get you to sleep.”_

_Wanda whimpered a little bit as he put her down, and practically threw herself into his arms when he lay next to her. He laughed and kissed the top of her head, “You’re very affectionate tonight.”_

_She looked up at him with, wide, trusting eyes, “I love you.”_

_His heart skipped a beat. Because he shouldn’t be thinking, shouldn’t be hoping that when his sister told him she loved him, that it meant something more._

_He shouldn’t be thinking that she is the most beautiful thing in the world right now, that he wants to never let her go. That if he could, one day he would do everything people do when they’re in love-ask her to marry him, have children together, kiss her-_

_“Pietro?” Wanda asked, “Are you alright?”_

_His mouth felt very dry, and he shook his head, “I-fuck. Fuck, I’m sorry.”_

_“About what? Tell me.” She touched his face gently, and in a rare moment, he felt tears pricking at the corners of his eyes._

_“I am afraid. Afraid that you’re going to hate me.”_

_Wanda looked almost offended, “Why would you think I could ever hate you? You’re everything to me.”_

_He hid his face in the pillow, “You might not feel the same way after this.”_

_“No,” she said softly, “I promise, I will always love you,” she clasped their hands together, “Pietro, nothing will ever break us apart.”_

_It was sad really, that someone so good, so pure, so loving, had to get stuck with him. It wasn’t fair that she had given him her heart to care for or to break. He wasn’t sure what he was about to do with it._

_“I just…” he swallowed hard, “I have to ask you something.”_

_“Go on.”_

_“Can I kiss you?”_

_It came out fast, and so much easier than he had thought it was going to be. Wanda didn’t move. She just stared at him, mouth hanging open slightly. Pietro could feel her shaking, but before he could blurt out a profuse apology, she whispered, “Yes.”_

_“What?”_

_“Kiss me,” she brushed her lips against his, “I want you to.”_

_Everything was moving, and everything was still at the same time. It was like the world had gone insane, and this was insane, it was crazy, it was impossible…_

_But when Pietro pulled her closer and kissed her, he could feel all of that melting away. Suddenly, nothing was impossible-in fact, he felt like he could do anything. It didn’t matter that they were both incredibly inexperienced and a little bit awkward. There wasn’t anything else out there anymore that could take them away from each other._

_In this moment, they were the only two people in the world, and they could do whatever they wanted, every barrier breaking down around them, like all that was beautiful in the universe could touch upon your soul._

 

 

_They were almost sixteen, and Wanda was slipping away that day._

_Pietro had figured out a long time ago that sometimes she was just like a child. There were times when she was her regular self, but all too often, she would slip into a childlike state that could last for days. It wasn’t that he minded-she was really sweet when she got like that-it was just that it did make it harder to keep her calm._

_This entire day, she had been exceptionally clingy, and it was starting to draw attention. They were standing in a very busy outdoor marketplace, the sun was beating down so hard that it was almost impossible to go outside and not be uncomfortable. Unfortunately, since they had no place to stay at the moment, Pietro and Wanda didn’t have much of a choice._

_“I don’t want to be here,” Wanda mumbled, twisting her hands together, “I want to hide.”_

_Pietro sighed. Usually, he would have picked her up, since it helped to calm her down, but it would undoubtedly look bizarre to everyone around them, “I’m sorry, baby girl. Just bear with me for a little while longer, okay? I need to see if I can find something for you to eat.”_

_“I’m not hungry,” she retorted, even though they both knew that was a lie, “I hate it here!”_

_“Wanda-”_

_She started sobbing, not the quiet kind that she did when she was older, but a really loud, hysterical, half shrieking kind of sobbing. More than a few people had started to turn their heads to see what was going on. Pietro could feel himself starting to panic, and tried to remember that she really couldn’t help it. He grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her away from the throng as far as he could, yanking her behind a stall. The owner looked at them, concerned, “Is she alright?”_

_“She’s fine!” Pietro let Wanda cling to him and bury her face in his neck while she cried. He rocked her back and forth a little bit, and tried to avoid eye contact with the man in front of him, who asked again, “Why is she crying?”_

_“She gets upset sometimes. She’s very sensitive.”_ _  
_

_The owner looked mildly amused, “Seems a little old to be having a breakdown like that.”_

_Pietro glared at him, “Are you serious?”_

_He shrugged, “Hey, don’t shoot the messenger, kid. Everyone here is thinking it.”_

_Of course they were. People thought that all the time, and before today, he had never given a fuck, because he didn’t care what people thought of him and Wanda._

_But right now, he felt just as small as her. Like a child who didn’t know what to do, so they started crying. Pietro was trying not to break down, because if he did, Wanda would get really upset, and today would be even more of a disaster than it already was. But God, she didn’t know how easily she could break his heart. When she curled up and cried because she was sad or sick or scared, it killed him. Especially at the times like these when he couldn’t exactly just kiss and make it better._

_“What do you want, honey?” he asked her desperately, “Please, let me help you.”_

_Wanda started trying to say…something, he just wasn’t  sure what it was. There were times when he couldn’t even understand what she was trying to tell him, it just came out as a bunch of stuttering, disjointed syllables. The stall manager had sat down next to them now, waving customers away._

_“Sometimes you just need a good cry, I guess,” he said conversationally._

_“I think she’s just tired,” Pietro told him, not mentioning that he was exhausted._

_“Is she your girlfriend?”_

_“I…” Pietro groaned inwardly-he hated it when people asked him that. For the time being however, he said, “Yes.”_

_“Where’s her family?”_

_“Dead.”_

_The stall owner looked sympathetic, “I lost my brother and his wife a few years ago. I’m sorry. I’d help you, but there’s not a whole lot I can do-times are tough all around, you know?”_

_“I know.”_

_Wanda had started to calm down a little, and was sucking her thumb. The stall manager raised his eyebrows, but said nothing. Wanda finally spoke, “Don’t be mad.”_

_Pietro rubbed her back, “I couldn’t ever be mad at you, and you know that.”_

_She nodded, and hid her face away again in her brother’s shoulder when she noticed the stall owner._

_“She’s shy,” Pietro explained._

_“I noticed. What’s her name?”_

_“Wanda. I’m Pietro.”_

_“Levi,” the man introduced himself, “Sorry you two are having a rough day.”_

_“Rough days are kind of inevitable. You just have to tell yourself that tomorrow will be a good one,” Pietro stood up, Wanda still holding onto him, “We should probably be going now.”_

_“Right,” Levi cleared his throat and stood up, “Where are you headed?”_

_“I don’t know. I never really do.”_

_“Well, you two be careful, wherever the hell you’re going,” Levi shielded his eyes from the sun, “It’s a great big world out there.”_

_“Yeah,” Pietro agreed, “It sure is.”_

_He knew what Levi meant, but Pietro couldn’t help but think that his world wasn’t big. In fact, she was very, very small._

 

 

_They had just turned twenty, and the only reason Pietro knew that was because there was a calendar on the wall of his cell (it was supposed to be an actual room, but it didn’t feel anything like one)._

_They had taken Wanda away from him. Why, he didn't know. But the last day he'd seen her, she had been little._

_Pietro was absolutely sure she must be traumatized as hell at this point, and all he had done was ask if he could see her. The guards were not cruel, but they weren’t kind either, and they had told him that they could only see her when Von Strucker allowed it._

_He didn’t know if he could wait that long. Wanda was just on the other side of the wall, and he couldn’t go in there and make everything okay like he always did. And on one hand, he felt like what they were doing was right. But it didn’t really matter if they weren’t together. Nothing did, not really, because nothing matters very much when you’ve only got yourself to care about, and you don’t care about yourself at all._

_One night, as he lay awake, he heard her. For the first time in months, he heard her._

_But it wasn’t her sweet, soft laugh, or her gentle voice whispering, “I love you”. It was screaming._

_He jumped up and banged on the door until one of the guards came and snapped, “What?”_

_“What are you doing to her?”_

_“She’s fine. Experimentation, that’s all.”_

_Pietro had practically screamed at the guard himself, begging him to let him see her, until one of them came in and sunk a needle into his arm. After that, he passed out._

_He woke up after what he assumed was several hours later, not groggy at all. Someone was shaking him, hard._

_“What the fuck do you wa-”_

_“You wanna see her or not?”_

_Pietro found himself on his feet, heart racing, “Is she okay?”_

_The guard didn’t respond, just held him tightly by the arm, a little bit like Wanda always did, and led him out of the door and into another cell. It looked almost exactly like his, but there was no calendar on the wall, and there were blocks in the middle of the room._

_Floating. And surrounded by some sort of red light._

_“Pietro?”_

_He had been so mesmerized that he hadn’t even seen her. In the corner of the room, hands extended, she looked at him, eyes wide and fearful. The blocks had started to shake, as if they were about to explode._

_“Wanda…” he stepped forward carefully, not wanting to frighten her more._

_“Pietro, what did they do to me?”_

_He didn’t answer. There was nothing to say, so he just let her run into his arms._

_“It’s nothing,” he kissed her, “Absolutely nothing. You’re perfect, Wanda.”_

_That would never change._

 

“Jesus Christ,” Natasha shook her head, “That is insane. I mean, you guys really hit some hard times.”

“I guess we did. But it worked out, right?” 

She shrugged, “I don’t know. Did it?”

Pietro didn’t answer. 

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, I just had to include a little reference to that post credits scene from Cap 2, because Wanda does look pretty childlike in that. I thought maybe the Hydra people picked up a little on what was going on, and there may have been some not so sucky people there who helped her out.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There just...a lot of emotions.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I overloaded on the fluff, and I apologize. I also wrote this when I should have been sleeping, so I'm sorry for any errors that were made.

Sometimes members of the team got called for missions last minute. Most of the time, they were completely fine with it-after all, it was really just part of the job. Today however, Natasha really did not want to go. She had wanted to spend the whole day with Wanda, who in all honesty, had not been doing super well lately. She was quiet, didn’t want to eat, freaked out whenever she was alone, and kept herself awake for entire nights. Pietro had told Natasha and Helen that she sometimes went through phases like this, and that she’d be her happy self again soon, but that didn’t make it any less painful. And Natasha had been hoping that some mother daughter time would help.

At this point, it had become pretty obvious that Wanda had attachment issues. She could have a mild panic attack if Natasha or Pietro went to the store for five minutes, so things like missions were really fucking hard to deal with. 

“Don’t leave!” Wanda clung to Natasha’s wrist like it was a lifeline, “You can’t leave! What if you get hurt, or don’t come back, or-”

Natasha detached herself gently and put both hands on Wanda’s shoulders, looking her directly in the eyes, “Listen to me, malyutka. I promise, everything will be fine. I’ll be back before you know it, and we can do whatever you want together. In the meantime, just try to make sure you’re healthy, okay? At least eat something.”

“I’m gonna miss you.”

“Oh, honey,” Natasha sighed and pulled her close, “Mommy’s gonna miss you too.”

“Promise you’ll come back?”

“I promise,” she let go and picked up her bag, slinging it over her shoulder, “Be good for your brother, okay?”

Wanda nodded, but the tears in her eyes were unmissable. Natasha was worried that she was going to have one of her full on breakdowns until her eyes lit up and she exclaimed, “Wait! I made you a present! You can take it with you.”

She ran down the hall and into her room, coming back with a large piece of paper folded in her hand, “Pietro and Helen helped me a little. I hope you like it.”

Before Natasha could open it, Steve poked his head through the doorway, “Hey, Nat. We really have to go.”

“Right,” she said distractedly, “Bye, Wanda.”

Wanda looked like she was about to jump on Natasha and hug her again, so the latter hastily made her exit before anything that might cause Steve to think something weird was going on happened. It was hard, but it was necessary. In all honesty, Natasha could feel herself having a hard time letting go too.

“What’s that?” Steve asked about the folded paper as they walked towards the jet.

“Nothing.”

But it was something. When she was gone, when she had to leave her little family behind, things like a piece of paper could be _everything_. Natasha already had a bracelet that Helen had given her, which she wore tucked under the sleeve of her uniform. Pietro had never given her any material token to remember him by, but his words, “just don’t die,” were more than enough. 

It wasn’t that the rest of the Avengers weren’t her family-they were. But until they knew about little Wanda, Natasha would always feel like there was something missing between herself and them. Being a mother had become the most important thing in her life. It was something she’d always thought she’d never have.

Steve poked her shoulder, “You okay?”

“Yeah,” Natasha blinked, “Sorry. Just a little bit tired, that’s all.”

“Better shake it off,” he grinned, “Or I’ll end up taking everyone out before you.”

She snorted, “You wish.”

They boarded the Quinjet, upon which Steve set their course and took hold of the controls and radioed ahead to let their associates know when they’d be there. Meanwhile, Natasha slipped into a corner and unfolded the paper. 

Her breath caught in her throat at the words on the page. They were under a drawing of a garden, and properly spelled, but in shaky, childish handwriting. 

_Happy Mother’s Day! I love you._

 

After such a long time spent caring for Wanda, Pietro had worked out a very small system to get through bad days. The first step was not to fucking cry because it broke his heart when she struggled so badly, and sometimes he just wanted to lie down next to her and cry too. The second step was to just go with whatever happened, because if Wanda wanted to freak out, she was going to freak out. There was absolutely no stopping it. 

Pietro was on step two at the moment. Natasha had left an hour ago, and his sister was already horribly anxious, lying on the floor, yanking her own hair with one hand, clutching Lorna with the other, and making these odd moaning noises that only came when she was really distressed. Pietro knelt down next to her and tried to pull her hands away, “Hey, you’re going to hurt yourself.”

She didn’t respond. Of course she didn’t, she _couldn’t._ That was one of the worst parts about the bad days-she was often times trying to tell him what she needed, and she couldn’t get the words out. Pietro set her in his lap and rocked her back and forth, whispering, “You’re okay, baby girl. I’ve got you. Just breathe with me, okay?” 

Wanda clutched at his shirt and hid her face in his chest, mumbling something that he obviously couldn’t make out. There were little things she did when she wasn’t talking that he understood at this point-when she was hungry, when she was tired, or wanted to be held. But most of the time, it was a mystery.

“I know you miss her, but she’ll be back.”

Wanda’s body jolted harshly, like she had just been shocked, and she started to scream. Pietro resisted the urge to cover her mouth.

“Shhh! Wanda, it’s okay! It’s okay. You’re fine, sweetheart. It’s okay.”

Someone started banging on the door, “What the hell is going on in there?”

“It’s fine, Clint!” Pietro yelled, “Just don’t come in!”

“What the fuck are you doing in there, torturing her? I’m coming in, kid.”

“No, don’t-!”

Clint practically slammed the door open and stepped into the room with the same look on his face that he generally had before they went into battle. It faded away once he took in the scene before him. 

For once in his life, Pietro felt helpless. Wanda was absolutely hysterical, and it was taking all of his strength to keep her still. Clint stared, openmouthed.

“Is…is she okay?”

Pietro would have snapped at him that yes, she was fucking fine, if Wanda hadn’t taken that moment to find her voice, “Mommy’s gone.”

 _Fuck fuck fuck._ This was a disaster. This couldn’t possibly be happening. It felt like he had been standing in front of a huge wall that had been shaking and starting to crumble, and suddenly, it just came crashing down on top of him. He should have gotten Helen to keep the others away, he should have made sure the door was locked, _anything_ but this.

Clint didn’t say anything for a few minutes while Pietro glared at him. Finally, he asked softly, “Who’s Mommy?”

Pietro wanted to answer, he really did, but any words that could have answered that question were stuck in the back of his throat. Instead he said, “I’m gonna put her in bed. Can you get some water?”

Clint nodded, and left while Pietro set Wanda on the bed, wiping tears from her face, “Shhh, sweetheart. Everything will be alright, I promise.” 

She still clung to his arm, fearful eyes begging him to never leave her, to always stay with her, because what would one of them do without the other? 

He didn’t even want to think about that right now, and just busied himself with stroking her hair until Clint came back and handed him the glass. Pietro nodded at him gratefully and asked Wanda, “Can you please drink this for me?”

She shook her head emphatically and covered her mouth. Pietro sighed, “You’ll get sick, baby. Just a little, okay?”

Wanda let her hands fall down and pursed her lips before nodding and holding her hands out. Pietro breathed a sigh of relief and smiled, “That’s not so bad, is it? You’re such a good girl.” 

He usually tried to avoid using that phrase, since it not only sounded like something super kinky, he didn’t want Wanda to ever feel like there were times when she _wasn’t_ good. But right now, it felt somewhat warranted.

Clint cleared his throat, “Okay, obviously we need to talk.”

“Can I get her to sleep first? She needs it,” he threw Wanda a look of mock annoyance, “But you’re probably gonna keep me up all night, aren’t you?”

Wanda giggled, and put her thumb in her mouth, finally starting to look somewhat content. Pietro took the glass from her and put it on the bedside table before helping her lie down and asking Clint, “Can you hand me Lorna?”

“Who?”

“The cat, she likes to hold it.”

“Oh. Right.” Pietro didn’t need to look at the man’s face to know that he was probably beyond freaked out. Wanda took Lorna into her arms and closed her eyes. Pietro felt himself start to breathe easier, “I’m just going to sing to her, and then we can talk. You…don’t have to stay.”

“Uh-huh. Yeah. Totally,” Clint just seemed to be spitting out whatever random words came to mind at this point, “How long does that take?”

“Just a few minutes, but I don’t like to leave her alone. We can’t talk for long.”

“Uh-huh. Yeah. To-”

“You already said that, old man.”

“I fucking know that, speedy.”

 

 

“Okay, so let me get this straight,” Clint said, who looked like he was trying very hard not to make himself sound like an idiot, “Wanda is an adult for some of her life, and the rest of it, she’s a little girl.”

“I’ve told you that three times now.”

“Just…making sure,” Clint managed, although he didn’t look very sure at all, “Um, is this like a kink for her?”

“No. To be honest, I think she wishes it would go away,” Pietro sighed, “She’s always been like this. I don’t know why. I’ve tried to figure it out, looked up things on identity disorders, but none of it fits the description. So we just have to deal with it as it comes.”

“How old is she? Like, mentally.”

“Four or five? I don’t know,” he buried his face in his hands, “I swear to God, I don’t care. I love her so much, and she’s anything but a burden. I’m just worried about what’s going to happen if people start finding out. You weren’t supposed to know. She only screams that loudly if she’s really upset, I wasn’t expecting her to do it today.”

“You’re just lucky everyone else was out of the house,” Clint shook his head, “They would not have known how to handle it. Hell, _I_ don’t even know how to handle it.”

“You’re doing better than I expected.”

“Good to know. Can you please tell me who the hell her mom is?”

Pietro pulled at a loose thread on his shirt, trying to avoid direct eye contact, “Look, before I tell you anything else, you should probably know something. When she’s…not like a child, we…um-”

“Kid.”

“Yeah?”

“I know you guys are banging each other. I just didn’t know about this.”

“Oh,” Pietro felt mildly insulted, “I thought we were being very discreet.”

“The constant touching and sleeping in the same room at age twenty does not fall under being discreet. You gonna answer the question or not?”

Pietro blinked, “Right. Okay. Just don’t freak out. It’s Natasha.”

_“What?”_

“Keep it down!”

Clint wasn’t generally the type of person to look flustered, but that would be a pretty good word to describe his face at the moment. His mouth hung agape for a minute before he shut it tightly, then managed to choke out, “Um…since when?”

“When I was healing, she took care of her or something. Ask them, it’s not like I was there.”

“And she calls Nat _mommy?”_

“Sometimes it’s mama. Does it matter?”

“No. Just…Jesus Christ,” Clint took a deep breath, “I just need to wrap my head around this. Because I’m gonna be honest kid, this just seems really weird. And-oh, God. Oh fuck. That mission we were on with the two crazy guys…she must have been-”

“I’d love to blame you, but it’s really not your fault. She was scared out of her mind.”

“Oh my God! Do you know how much worse that makes the entire situation? She was a little kid!”

“I know, I know. It was bad. We went through worse at Hydra, though."

Clint didn’t look like he wanted to press that, which was good, because Pietro didn’t feel like talking about it. They sat quietly, both almost wishing that someone would just come home early from whatever appointment they had, and break the tense mood.

Clint broke it himself, when he started to laugh, “I just realized something. I once told her that I couldn’t babysit her.”

Pietro couldn’t help it, and started laughing too, “Well, if you ever do end up babysitting, I’m not paying you.”

 

 

 

One day later, Steve and Natasha returned home safely, with a mission well done behind them. As soon as they walked into the tower, Clint walked up to Natasha and hugged her, feeling like for the first time in weeks, he really understood her, “Heard it went well.”

“Piece of cake.”

Clint let go and stepped back a little bit, looking her over completely. Black bodysuit, deadly weapons, and a license to kill. This woman was a mom to the little girl in the other room. And somehow, it seemed so right. 

It was right that Natasha got this. 

“Helen and Wanda are hanging out in the lab,” he told her, “They’re really excited to see you.”

Natasha’s face lit up, “See you later, then.”

As she walked away, Clint couldn’t stop himself from blurting out, “Nat?”

“Yeah?”

“Happy Mother’s Day.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not a huge fan of Mother's Day, but I thought I could do something cute with it. Wanda would totally take that entire freaking day to constantly tell Natasha how much she adores her.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clint is basically a really good babysitter, and Wanda's had it rough. Basically lots of fluffy things.

In the two weeks that had passed since Wanda’s minor breakdown (of which there were many), she hadn’t been able to look Clint in the eye. She also hadn’t been young since it happened, which honestly made it even more awkward, because it meant that he might want to have a conversation about it. She was pretty sure he _had_ tried to bring it up once, when they just happened to be alone in a room together, but she had made an excuse to leave quickly before it got awkward. Helen had told her that it would help a lot if the two of them just had an honest conversation about it, things would get better, but the very thought made Wanda cringe.

_Thanks for taking the whole thing about me living half my life as a five year old as well as you did. I really appreciate it._

No fucking way. Wanda groaned and resisted the urge to bang her forehead against the table. It was Friday, and Helen was just finishing up work in the lab. She always let Wanda hang out with her when Natasha and Pietro were busy, which was nice, since it helped for her to be around people who she knew (or at least thought) would care for her if she needed it. 

Right now, Wanda was wishing that she never needed anyone to care for her.

“Everything okay, hon?” Helen asked, “You look down.”

Wanda looked up and met her eyes sadly, “What’s wrong with me?”

Helen put down whatever she was working on and motioned for the younger girl to come forward, “There is nothing wrong with you.”

“You know that’s not true!” Wanda didn’t usually count herself as a confrontational person, but right now she couldn’t help but feel a little bit angry, “This doesn’t happen to normal people!”

“Just what do you think is normal?” Helen put a hand on Wanda’s shoulder, “There is not a single person who ever lived that was truly ordinary. We all have our demons and our secrets, and sometimes we don’t understand them. They can scare us, even hurt us, but as long as you do not walk alone, you will never be without the means to fight them off.”

“But it’s not just about me! What about Mom- _Natasha_ and Pietro? What about you? You’re going to be stuck with this for as long as you know me.”

“I don’t mind,” Helen said softly, “because I love you. And they do too, more than anything. Besides,” she smiled and ruffled her hair, “You are a very well behaved child.”

“I’m a twenty one year old who needs a babysitter.”

“And I’m a twenty nine year old who still cries at The Lion King. Everyone is a little bit unusual in one way or another. That doesn’t mean you should ever think less of yourself for it, especially over things you can’t control. Wanda,” she looked at her seriously, “I don’t know what happens to you, or why it happens, but it does, and it is okay. It really is.”

Wanda wasn’t sure she would ever actually believe that. 

But for now, she could pretend. 

 

 

Clint got an opportunity to babysit much sooner than anyone expected. It was something of an accident. Since Wanda hadn’t been little in about two weeks, (which was admittedly strange) Natasha hadn’t been worried about leaving her for short periods of time. Pietro was a little more wary, but tried to assume the best, and found that he could train longer without having to rush back.

It was somewhat unfortunate that Wanda ended up turning young for the first time in fourteen days while Pietro was out working with Steve and Natasha and Helen were on a date. Clint had been sitting at the table, having a beer while Sam chatted on the phone with his girlfriend, and Tony was sifting through some design upgrades for the armor when Wanda walked in from her room nervously, wringing her hands together, “Where’s my brother?”

“He’s with Steve,” Tony said, without looking up, oblivious to the change in her voice.

“Can I go see him?”

“I think they’re busy. Should be back in an hour and a half.”

“What about Helen and my Mo-”

_Mommy._

In an instant, Clint snapped to attention, jumping up and banging the table loudly before the kid could finish her sentence. Tony and Sam both looked at him strangely, but he barely took any notice of it. He grabbed Wanda’s hand and pulled her out of the room fast. 

Okay. Pietro had told him what to do if this happened. Make sure nobody saw, take her to her room, lock the door, keep her calm. He could do that. Breathing in and out deeply, he led Wanda through her bedroom door and locked it behind them, “Sorry about that. They aren’t here right now, but they’ll be home soon.”

“Oh,” Wanda pressed her lips together, looking as if she was suppressing the urge to cry, “I miss them.”

“Uh…” Clint fumbled over his words a little. Just because he had an idea of what Wanda was like in this state, it didn’t mean he fully understood how to handle it, “I’m sure they miss you too. But hey, we can do something fun while they’re gone, okay? What do you like to do for fun?”

Wanda considered for a few moments, then said, “Stories.”

“Right. Sure. I can tell you a story,” His head was swimming. What the hell would Laura say if she saw him right now? 

_She’d probably be happy that you’re helping a little girl out, dumbass._

With that in mind, Clint asked, “What do you want to hear?”

“Cinderella,” Wanda sat on the floor and grabbed her cat off the bed, clutching it to her chest. Clint felt a little twinge in his heart, almost like he felt sorry for her. He sat down next to her and patted her shoulder, “Okay. That’s a good one. Like, my favorite.”

“It’s my favorite too. I wish I was as beautiful as her.”

Clint frowned, “You _are_ beautiful, Wanda.”

“Not enough,” she said sadly, “Can you tell it now?”

He sighed, “Alright, fine.”

To be honest, Clint could definitely see how Cinderella was so appealing to Wanda-everything about a frightened, lonely girl coming from a horrible situation suddenly having all of her problems fixed and people to love and take care of her was pretty reminiscent of the kid’s own life. He wasn’t sure if he found that sweet or depressing. After he finished, Wanda hugged him and said, “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome, kid. Don’t you think it’s about time you get to bed?”

“I wanna wait for my brother or my mama. I can’t sleep without them. I get scared.”

“What are you scared of?”

“That they’re never gonna come to me,” her voice was starting to shake a little, so Clint decided to change the subject. He rubbed her shoulder gently and asked, “Hey, don’t think about that. What’s your cat’s name?”  
  
“Lorna. My brother gave her to me.”

“Is she a good cat? Because I had a cat once, and it used to scratch me.”

Wanda giggled, “She doesn’t scratch. She likes you.”

“Oh, good. It’s probably because you taught her well, right?”

“Yeah,” Wanda stroked the animal’s head, “She’s my friend. Are you my friend too?”

“Sure, kid,” Clint couldn’t keep himself from smiling, “Listen, I’m going to stay with you until your brother gets back. You want me to tell you another story?”

“Can you tell me Cinderella?”

He raised an eyebrow, “Again?”

“I really, really like it. Please?”

Clint put his hands up, “You win, kid. Stop giving me those irresistible puppy dog eyes-no wonder Pietro gives you whatever you want.”

“He’s the best brother ever,” Wanda said proudly.

“I gotta hand it to the punk,” Clint muttered, “He definitely wins brother of the year.”

 

 

Despite his best attempts, Clint couldn’t get Wanda to sleep, so he just talked to her for another hour while she curled up on the floor. The archer had to admit, she was hard not to love, which was why it hurt a little when she asked him, “Are you my dad?”

“Aw, kid,” he winced, “No. I’m sorry. I’m sure you’re such a wonderful daughter.”

“It’s okay,” she said, looking slightly dejected, “I was just wondering. Can you be something else instead?”

“Sure, honey. Whatever you want.”

“You can be my fairy godmother.”

Clint couldn’t help it, and burst out laughing, “Your fairy godmother? Me?”

Wanda laughed too, “Yes! You can just imagine the magic part.”

“You sure you don’t just want me to be your uncle?”

“Fairy godmothers are more fun. You can grant wishes.”

“Okay, okay,” he shook his head ruefully, “Fairy godmother it is, then. I guess I should remember that you’re the princess around here.”

Before she could respond, there was a knock at the door, “Wanda, are you still up?”

Clint stood to unlock it, “Steve finally let your brother off the hook.” 

As soon as Pietro stepped into the room, his sister jumped into his arms, eyes shining. He seemed to pick up on the age switch right away, and kissed her cheek, then scooping her up in his arms and putting her on the bed, “You should be asleep, sweetheart.”

“I can’t sleep without you,” she protested. Pietro smiled softly and stroked her hair before stopping short, “Wait, were you alone?”

Clint cleared his throat, “No. But like I said, you don’t have to pay me for babysitting.”

The other man turned, noticing him for the first time. After a few moments of a slightly awkward silence, he said, “Thank you so much.”

“It was no problem. She’s a really sweet kid.”

“Oh, and she knows it,” Pietro kissed Wanda’s forehead and whispered to her, “I’ll be right back, okay?”

“Don’t turn the lights off. And _promise_ you’ll come back.”

“I promise, baby girl.”

He followed Clint out into the hallway, where he thanked him again. Clint smiled, “Don’t mention it. But hey, who knew you were such a softie?”

“Only for her. The others didn’t see anything, did they?”

“No. It was a close call, though.”

Pietro breathed a sigh of relief, “God, I’m so glad you were here. It’s so hard now that it’s not just the two of us. The more people there are around, the more of a chance there is of them finding out, and something tells me more than a few of them might not be supportive.”

“Don’t worry about that, kid. Between you, me, Helen, and Tasha, she should have someone to watch her most of the time,” he cleared his throat, “Can I ask you what’s up with her whole sleeping issue?”

“Oh…she can sleep on her own sometimes. Just not at night. She has terrible nightmares-I mean, she has them anyways, but they’re worse when she’s alone, and then when she wakes up she doesn’t have anyone there to comfort her. The guards at Hydra used to beat her when she woke up crying, so eventually she just stared making herself stay awake.”

“Jesus. That’s sick.”

“I know. But that’s why I don’t like leaving her alone either. I should really go get her to sleep.”

Clint nodded, “Yeah. Where’s Nat?”

“Spending then night at Helen’s. I’ll call her in the morning. Goodnight.”

“Night, punk.”

Before he went to sleep, Clint bumped into Tony, who asked, “What the hell was up with the Maximoff girl earlier?”

“None of your damn business,” Clint said calmly, because it wasn’t. It wasn’t anyone’s business save for four people who had gotten hopelessly attached to a strange, magic girl.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was supposed to be up like, two days ago, but I'm an idiot. Because I spent a lot of that time writing my Pietro/Harley Quinn fic (yes, you read that right). It's the first non Maxicest thing I've written in a while, but if it doesn't sound overly weird and/or stupid to you, hit me up! I posted it last night.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pietro and Wanda kinda sorta celebrate their birthday, but not really. There is a ton of angst and mother/daughter bonding moments. Basically, Natasha is a mama bear who will come at you like the finger of god if you mess with her kid.

The twins had turned twenty one right before the whole thing with Ultron happened, so their next birthday was still about a year away. That wasn’t going to stop Natasha from celebrating it.

“I don’t see why we _need_ to,” Pietro sighed as soon as she brought up the idea of having a party,“I don’t even like birthday parties.”

“Why not?”

“I don’t know. I guess I just never found them appealing.”

“Twenty one is a pretty important age,” Natasha reminded him,  “Look, Tony’s having another get together in a few days. We’ll just say _that’s_ your birthday party, and I can get you a present to make it more official.”

Pietro groaned, “You really don’t have to-”

“I want to. And afterwards, I’ll tell Clint to take you out for some drinks. It’ll be fun, okay? I’ll look after Wanda. What kind of stuff does she like?”

“Just get her anything with pink or glitter on it, and chances are she’ll be happy.”

“What about you?”

“If I don’t tell you, will it stop you from buying me something?”

Natasha smirked, “Nope.”

“Whatever. I’m trying it anyway,” he slid off the kitchen counter where he had been sitting while Natasha had been looking around for a snack, “Is Wanda with Clint?”

“Yeah. She’s making him watch that show with her again-you know, the one about the talking ponies and the magic of friendship or something.”

“Of course she is. I swear to God, if I have to watch one more episode of that, I’m going to lose my fucking mind. I’d rather let her paint my nails again.”

Natasha laughed, “You have to admit, Super Sparkly Sapphire is a good color on you. Totally brings out your eyes. Next time, I’m going to encourage her to do your whole face.”

“She probably won’t need a lot of encouragement to do that,” Pietro rolled his eyes, “You’re both probably plotting to drive me insane.”

“Guilty,” she laughed “I’m gonna go save Clint. And about the birthday thing…just try to be positive about it, okay? It might be fun.”

 

 

As it turned out, Clint didn’t actually need to be saved from anything, since he appeared to be more into the show than Wanda was, who had her eyes closed while she rested her head in his lap. Natasha sat down next to the two of them and leaned her head on Clint’s shoulder, “She fell asleep already?”

“I’m not sleeping,” Wanda said softly, without opening her eyes, “I’m wishing.”

Natasha ruffled her hair, “What are you wishing for?”

“It won’t come true if I tell you. And it _has_ to come true. I want it more than anything.”

Clint yawned, “Is it for Tony to finally get the hell up off his ass and fix my car? That’s what I want more than anything.”

“Watch your language,” Natasha said, punching him lightly on the arm, “What kind of fairy godmother are you?”

“The fun kind. I’ll buy her candy and let her watch movies you won’t let her see. I mean, there’s only so many times I can sit through The Little Mermaid.”

Natasha snorted, “Okay, I’m gonna put her to bed before you can corrupt my kid anymore. Come on, возлюбленная. Mama’s gotta get some sleep.”

Wanda stood up and took a tight hold on Natasha’s hand as she led her out of Clint’s room and into her own, “I don’t want to sleep.”

“Well, you have to. Come on, missy, it could be worse. Lie down.”

She still looked hesitant, “Are you staying?”

“Yes. Let’s give your brother the night off, okay? He needs some rest, too.”

Wanda sighed sadly and curled up on the bed, hair splaying across the pillows, “I bother him.”

“Oh, sweetie. That’s not true. He loves you more than anything in the whole world.”

“That doesn’t mean I don’t bother him” she said crossly, “And you, and Helen, and Clint.”

Natasha pulled her daughter close, and ran her fingers through her hair, “You don’t bother anyone. Where is all this coming from?”

Wanda didn’t respond, and just held to the assassin’s shirt tightly. Natasha had learned not to push it when Wanda was in one of her rare, grumpy moods, although she was starting to wonder if she should. It usually seemed to have something to do with the fact that the kid worried she was causing everyone to hate her-something that, in Natasha’s opinion, was damn near impossible. That didn’t change the fact that Wanda freaked out anytime she thought she might be annoying someone. 

It was a somewhat worrying mindset for her to have. Natasha tried to lighten the atmosphere, “We’re having a party in a few days, you know. Won’t that be fun?”

“I guess. Will lots of people be there? I find lots of people intimidating.”

Natasha burst out laughing, “Where did you pick up that big word from?”

“Clint. We were reading the dictionary. Actually, he read it, and just told me the words.”

“Why were you reading the dictionary?”

“I saw it, and wanted to know what was inside.”

Natasha kissed the top of her head, "My funny girl. You make me so happy, you know that?”

Wanda said that she didn’t know that, but that she was glad of it, and snuggled closer after Natasha turned off the lamp next to the bed, “I love you, Mommy.”

No matter how many times she heard them (and she heard them quite a lot) those words would never fail to make Natasha’s heart swell. It was something she never, ever thought she’d get to hear, and now she had the most beautiful daughter she ever could have asked for giving her unconditional love.

Maybe the universe wasn’t so cruel after all.

Natasha whispered, “Remember what I told you? I loved you yesterday, I love you still. Always have, and always will.”

 

 

No matter how much Natasha might have liked to believe it, she told herself a few days later, love couldn’t solve everything. Some days just sucked, some people were just assholes, and sometimes there was nothing you could do to fix a situation but bitch about it.

She was only thinking this because she woke up on the day of Tony’s party with the feeling that something was going to go wrong. It was a horrible looking day outside, with drizzling, overcast skies and the promise of thunderstorms that evening. On top of that, Thor was stressed out because of an argument he’d recently had with his father, and was being testy with everyone, which had caused him and Steve to get into a shouting match over something that nobody actually cared about. And possibly worst of all, Wanda was little, meaning that Natasha was basically going to have to hide her from the crowd that was going to be showing up that night.

_Cheer up. You’re supposed to be celebrating today._

Pietro still refused to acknowledge that any kind of party was actually going to be taking place in honor of his birthday, but he had at least relented on the thing about going out with Clint that evening. He didn’t exactly seem to be in a good mood either though-the first thing Natasha saw him do that day was bang his head against his bedroom wall when she went to wish him a happy belated birthday.

“Hey. Rough morning?” she asked.

“She woke up crying again at like, five in the morning and wouldn’t go back to sleep.”

Natasha sighed, “Poor baby. It’s been a few weeks since that happened-I was hoping they wouldn’t make another appearance for a little while longer. Is she calmed down now?”

“She’s calm enough that she let me do her hair, but I think she’s still kinda shaky. She just kept saying that she was sorry and begging me not to be mad at her,” he paused, “Have you noticed that she’s kind of obsessed with whether or not people like her?”

“You guys are joined at the hip. I thought you would have noticed that a long time ago.”

“She’s always been pretty clingy,” he admitted, “But something changed after Hydra. I don’t know what it-”

The sound of breaking glass echoed from the other room, and the tower was suddenly filled with the sound of Thor’s bellowing voice shouting what Natasha was sure were some old Norse curse words, if that was a thing. 

“I don’t want to know what the hell that was,” she said, shaking her head, “But hey, before I forget…happy birthday. You want your present now or later?”

Pietro threw her a dirty look, “I told you not to get me anything.”

“Did you expect me not to listen? It’s not like I bought you a Ferrari or anything. It’s just an iTunes gift card. I know you like music.”

“Oh,” his face softened a little bit, “Well, thanks. Really.”

“Don’t mention it,” she winked, “Besides, I got Wanda a pack of nail polish that she’s totally gonna want to use on you, so it’s like I got myself a present, too. Wait-you didn’t leave her alone, did you?”

“She’s following Clint around.”

"Actually, she’s pulling me around," as if on cue, the archer walked in, Wanda clinging to his arm and with one hand, and sucking her thumb with the other. Natasha shut the door quickly,

“They didn’t see anything, did they?”

“Nah. Everyone’s way too busy to notice. Right, honey?” Clint slung an arm around Wanda before noticing Pietro and saying, “Uh…happy birthday, punk. I got you something.”

“I have a feeling that it’s literally going to blow up in my face, but I guess it’s the thought that counts.”

“Ha ha. It’s an iTunes gift card.”

“Clint!” Natasha exclaimed, “That was my idea!”

“You didn’t tell me that! You just said I had to get him a present. I didn’t even _want_ to get him something.”

“Thanks,” Pietro said sarcastically, “You really just made my day.”

“I must have said something wrong, then.”

Wanda cut in, “Should I hide from the party tonight?”

There was a very uncomfortable silence for a few minutes. Natasha sighed, “I think you might have to, sweetheart. I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay. I was afraid to go.”

“You know it’s not your fault,” Clint added quickly, “It’s only that not everyone is going to understand you. We’re just trying to keep you safe.”

Wanda nodded and used her free hand to reach around and tug on her ponytail, “I know.”

“When the party’s over, you and I can do whatever you want together, okay?” Natasha said, “I promise.”

The girl nodded again, looking downward and kicking at the floor gently, “Can I go see Helen? She said I could play in the lab if it’s just her there.”

Clint was rubbing his temples, as if he had suddenly gotten a terrible headache, “As long as you go with your brother so he can keep an eye on you.”

Pietro lifted Wanda into his arms and disappeared in a flash. The two assassins looked at each other nervously. The ambient feeling Wanda often brought to the room was gone, replaced by the dreary gloom that Natasha had been feeling earlier. She crossed her arms and said, “Like you said, we’re just protecting her.”

“We can’t protect her forever. Someone’s going to find out one day. And it’s going to end up hurting her somehow.”

She didn’t answer. She didn’t want to. She couldn’t, really, because the words were stuck in the back of her throat.

_You can’t protect her forever._

Honestly, Natasha Romanov had found herself spending way too much time trying not to think about that as of late.

 

 

Natasha would be lying if she said that she didn’t find herself enjoying the party just a little. It was mostly because of Helen, who danced with her all night and looked pretty fucking gorgeous in a short bodycon dress. The rain pounded hard against the windows, but it was almost impossible to hear over the music that Tony had started blasting. 

Natasha had told everyone that Wanda wasn’t feeling well in order to explain her absence, and felt guilty every time she said it-she didn’t even have Clint and Pietro to lean on for support, since they had left just a few minutes ago. She was starting to wonder if she should have just skipped out on the evening herself, when Helen reminded her that Wanda was just in the other room, and that it was only for a few hours.

“It’s called maternal guilt,” the doctor said, “Mothers feel it when they feel as if they aren’t doing something as well as they could be-even if they _are_ doing the best they can.”

“I’m overreacting, I know,” Natasha looked over her shoulder worriedly, “Maybe I should go check on her.”

“I’m sure she’s fine,” Helen said gently, “The night’s almost over anyways-Clint and Pietro just left.”

Everyone jumped when a huge clap of thunder sounded from the outside, followed by a blinding flash of lightning, and then darkness. Among the murmurs around the room, Steve’s voice was easy to hear, “Why does something go wrong every time we have have a party?”

“It’s just a power outage, Cap,” Tony replied, “I’ll go fix it.”

“Oh, shit,” Natasha hissed, “She’s probably super freaked out.”

Helen pushed at her, “Go.”

Natasha pushed through the throng of people as best she could, until she reached the hallway that led to everybody’s respective rooms. She felt her way along the walls until she reached Wanda and Pietro’s room and pushed the door open, “Wanda, baby? Are you okay?”

Amongst the darkness, Natasha could see a faint red light glowing. She moved forward cautiously, “Sweetheart, it’s just me. Are you okay?”

“Mommy?” her voice, full of fear and the threat of tears, was almost too quiet to hear, “I’m scared.”

Natasha finally found her daughter in the dark and took her in her arms, “Mommy’s here, baby. It’s okay, it’s just a little power outage. Tony will fix it in no time.”

Wanda’s breath was shaky, and she shivered against Natasha’s body, “I’m sorry.”

“For what?”

“I don’t know. I just am.”

“You don’t need to be scared, baby,” Natasha said softly, “I’ll never let anything hurt you, ever.”

It was a promise she often criticized herself for making, since she knew there was a good chance she wouldn’t be able to keep it. But she could _try_ , and she would try as hard as she could. So she pushed any worries out of her mind and whispered, “Mommy’s got you, ангел. Everything is okay.”

Wanda was starting to calm down a little bit, and Natasha was actually hoping that she might fall asleep until something thumped against the door. A few minutes later, the lights flickered on.

“See? I told you he would fix it,” Natasha said, feeling more than a bit uneasy, “Why don’t you get ready for bed? I need to go back, but you don’t have to go to sleep until I’m here again.”

“Okay,” Wanda actually seemed pretty relaxed now, “I love you.”

“Love ya more. I won’t be long.”

 

 

The party wrapped up pretty quickly after that, and within less than forty minutes, only the residents of the tower remained. Helen gave Natasha a kiss goodnight and started to head back to her own apartment, while the latter hastily helped pick up and responded to a text from Clint that told her they were on their way home, all the while not noticing Tony speaking to Bruce in hushed tones in a corner. As soon as Steve and Thor had left to their rooms, Natasha told the scientists that she was going to turn in as well.

“Wait,” Tony said, “I need to talk to you about something.”

“Can’t it wait until tomorrow? I’m really tired.”

“No,” he said, his face serious, “It really can’t.”

Natasha frowned, and sat down on the couch, “Okay. Shoot.”

Tony crossed his arms, “When I was going to see if I could get the lights back on, I went to see if  Wanda was okay, because you said she wasn’t feeling well, and then suddenly everything went dark, so I just thought-never mind. Point is, I just thought I’d check on her, and I heard…well, I heard you.”

Natasha’s heart stood still, and she felt her blood turn to ice in her veins. While Tony was looking at her directly, Bruce seemed to be avoiding her gaze, and was staring at the ground. Natasha decided to cut him a break and spoke directly to Stark, “What did you hear, exactly?”

“I heard her call you mommy. I heard the way you were talking to her, and it was more than enough to figure out that you two are apparently sleeping together, and she has some sort of kink.”

Natasha put her hand up, “We are _not_ sleeping together. Like, no fucking way.”

“Well, what is it then?”

“I can’t talk about this right now. Talk to Pietro about it, he’s the one who’s the best at taking care of her-”

“Wait,” Bruce spoke for the first time, “He knows about this, and he’s okay with it?”

“Yes! I mean…Jesus, it’s hard to explain, okay?”

“Is this some kind of weird fantasy you guys are trying to fulfill?”

That stung. Natasha clenched her teeth, “It’s not what you think.”

Before Tony could retort, the door slammed open and Clint and Pietro stumbled in, for once, looking like they were actually getting along. Clint said, “Hey, Tony. Sorry we skipped out on the party, but I had to-what’s the matter?”

Natasha opened her mouth to speak, only to be interrupted by Bruce, “It’s uh…come to out attention that Natasha and Wanda have a slightly unconventional relationship.” 

"And by unconventional, we mean that apparently they have some sort of mother and daughter roleplay thing going on. Care to elaborate?” Tony asked.

“Why do you care so fucking much, Stark?” Natasha snapped.

Pietro looked almost scared, “I-I don’t think it is important for you to know. It doesn’t affect you, Tony.”

Clint agreed, “Just forget about it.”

“Okay, well now you guys are making it sound like some sort of huge secret. And Legolas knew too? Are we the only ones who didn’t?”

Natasha buried her face in her hands, “Oh, God. I was so afraid this was going to happen.”

“Afraid of what?” Tony looked more than a little annoyed, “I don’t even know what the hell is going on.”

“You don’t need to know, because you won’t understand!” Natasha could feel herself getting more and more pissed off, “Just let it go, Tony!”

Pietro finally seemed to give up, “Oh, for the love of Christ. Just tell them.”

Clint looked at him in shock, “Are you serious?”

“Well, they obviously know something’s going on. And I- _we_ can’t protect her unless they know the whole truth,” he still looked wary, but his words were firm and clear as he faced Tony and Bruce, “It’s not actually that bad. We just didn’t know if you were going to react to it well.”

Tony raised an eyebrow, “Start talking, kid.”

“You might want to sit down.”

It took a little while, but Pietro told them, starting from his and Wanda’s childhood, leading all the way up to the present day when Natasha and Helen had found out, and when Clint had eventually become a part of it too. When he was done, the room was silent, and Tony was just staring, openmouthed. It took a few minutes before Natasha spoke, “Well, say _something._ ”

“I…” he trailed off, still looking shocked, “This doesn’t make any fucking sense.”

“I know it might seem a little bit weird,” Natasha said, “But it’s really the most natural thing in the world once you spend more time with her.”

Tony stood up and started pacing the room madly, “Okay. There are a few possible explanations I can think of for this. One, Wanda has parental issues, and you wish you could have kids, so you two just started using each other to fill an emotional hole. Two, she has a mommy kink. Three, she’s just crazy, and you guys are humoring her way more than you should be.”

Natasha stood up, hands balled into fists, “Shut the hell up, Tony! Did you hear anything he just said?”

“I heard a guy talking about a sister who he babies way too much,” Tony shot back, “Sorry if I sound like the bad guy here, but I just think it’s weird!”

“Just stop,” Clint told him, “I don’t think you’re actually grasping what’s actually going on.”

“I’m grasping it just fine, thanks. She needs some serious help.”

Pietro glared at him, “I already told you, I’ve taken her to doctors. There is nothing we can do but be there for her.”

“You expect me to just believe that? If you can’t see that she needs to go to a shrink, then you probably need help, too.”

Pietro was about two seconds away from punching Tony in the face, but before anything could happen, a tiny voice from the doorway made them all freeze.

“Mama? Is there really something wrong with me?”

Natasha closed her eyes, and little by little, felt her heart break. 

She didn’t even want to look at Wanda, for fear that it was just going to make her want to cry, and when she did, tears very nearly spilled over.

Natasha had sworn that she was never going to let her get hurt. And now the kid knew exactly what everyone else was going to think of her. She croaked out, “I thought I told you to wait in your room.”

“I heard my name, and I heard you yelling. Are you mad at me? Please don’t get mad at me, I’ll do anything for you not to be.”

“Nobody is mad at you,” Pietro stood up, “Come on, sweetheart, let’s get you to bed.”

Before Tony could say anything, Clint shot him a death glare, “Don’t talk to her.”

As the twins left the room in a blur, Bruce finally spoke up, “I’m sorry, but I kind of agree with Tony. It’s not normal.”

“There is nothing normal about any of us!” Clint spat out, “We have a fucking god living here, and you can’t handle a scared little girl?”

“She’s not a child!”

Natasha strode towards Tony until she was inches away from his face, “Listen to me, Stark. I don’t care what kind of issues you have with me. I can deal with that. But it stops there.”

“I don’t think you can actually tell me who I can and can’t have a problem with.”

“I’m telling you now!” at this point, Natasha didn’t care if she was yelling, “Say whatever you want to me, but _leave my daughter alone!”_

Without waiting to hear a response, she turned on her heel and stalked out of the room, bumping into Steve on the way, who asked the others what all the yelling was about. Natasha tried to block out their voices, and when she got to the bedroom, slammed the door shut with a bang. She could still hear them all yelling from the outside, mostly Clint and Tony trying to talk over each other. 

Natasha looked at Pietro helplessly, “What now?”

“I don’t know,” he said quietly. Wanda was being rocked back and forth in his arms, her face once again hidden in his shirt while he rubbed her back. Natasha sat next to them and said, “Wanda, listen to me. I am so, so sorry you had to hear that, baby. Don’t be upset, okay? We still love you.”

Wanda lifted her head up enough so her chin was resting on Pietro’s shoulder. When she upset, she usually cried and screamed hysterically, but right now, the pain on her face came with no sounds of distress. It was almost frightening. She clung to her brother with one arm, and to Natasha’s hand with the other as her body started to shake uncontrollably. It took a few minutes, but she finally started to sob. Natasha almost felt like kicking herself for feeling relieved. She squeezed the girl’s hand gently, “моя милая малышка, я так сильно тебя люблю. Это нормально, пусть его.”

Wanda probably had no idea what she was saying, but the sound of Natasha’s voice always served as a source of comfort to her, and it was enough to eventually send her to sleep. Looking utterly exhausted, Pietro lay her down and gently pulled out the band that was holding her hair in a ponytail. He kissed her cheek and rested his forehead on hers for a minute, murmuring something that Natasha couldn’t quite make out. Finally, he said, “It had to happen at some point, I guess.”

“I just wish it hadn’t been because of me.”

“It wasn’t your fault. If it hadn’t been you, it would have been me, Clint, or Helen, or she just would have switched in front of them when none of us were there,” he paused, “Do you think Tony’s going to kick us out?”

“No. He’s not evil. I probably shouldn’t have yelled at him,” Natasha sighed, “God, this is probably the worst late birthday you’ve ever had, right?”

He laughed quietly, “It’s the only one I’ve ever had, so it’s also technically the best, if that makes you feel any better.”

“Oddly enough, it does.”

“You don’t have to stay, Natasha. Go get some sleep.”

“Nah,” she kicked off her shoes, “Move over. You don’t snore, do you?”

“I guess you’ll find out.”

With Wanda snuggled between the two of them, Natasha found it quite easy to forget about the argument. They could deal with it tomorrow. They would take things as they came, like they

always did, and it would be okay.

As it turned out, Pietro did snore, just very quietly. Wanda let out a soft little sigh, and Natasha smiled, leaning over to kiss her forehead.

“Happy birthday, baby girl.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wat is this even like I don't know. All I know is that it is probably full of grammar errors, and yes, I apologize for that.  
> I don't actually hate Tony, contrary to what this chapter might have you believe, but not everyone was going to deal with Wanda's situation super well, and if someone was going to have a not so great reaction, he might be a likely candidate, especially considering his relationship with the twins.  
> Also, I have this headcanon that Pietro is a really hard person to shop for, so everyone just ends up buying him a bunch of gift cards every time a holiday rolls around. 
> 
> Russian Translations:
> 
> возлюбленная-sweetheart
> 
> моя милая малышка, я так сильно тебя люблю. Это нормально, пусть его-My sweet baby, I love you so much. It's okay, let it out.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This started out as very fluffy, but it got pretty dark near the end. Read the tags, you've been warned.

Wanda was shy by nature, and just like most of her other emotions, that increased a tenfold when she turned little. Pietro was sure that now that she had an idea of what everyone thought about her, it was only going to get worse. When it got especially bad, she would run and hide herself away, or throw herself on the floor and cry or scream. Pietro remembered a particularly nasty incident back in Sokovia when a hard day had been too overwhelming for her, and she had ended up trying to gouge her own eyes out. It was moments like that which made him very, very afraid of leaving Wanda alone. 

Those were the thoughts he fell asleep with, and the ones he woke up with the morning after the disastrous party. Wanda was snuggled up on his chest, tear tracks still lightly staining her face. She looked like a mess, and it broke his heart. 

Natasha was awake already, hands stroking Wanda’s hair. She kissed her daughter’s cheek, “Good morning, sweet girl.”

To Pietro’s surprise, she leaned over and pressed a kiss to his face too-chaste, gentle, and quick. He looked at her in shock while she smiled, “Good morning, big brother.”

He couldn’t help but smile back, “You going to adopt me now?”

“Only if you ask. For now, how about we stay friends? I like hanging out with you, you know."

“Don’t make your girlfriend jealous.”

“Aw, Hel likes hanging out with you too. When Wanda’s big, we could totally have a four way relationship going on.”

“I’m so sure that a million people would kill to watch that. Can you imagine Fury’s face?”

“Oh God, he thinks the couples around here are enough trouble when there’s just two in a relationship. We’d be quadruple the trouble.”

They both laughed, being able to let go of the worry the previous night’s events had caused them for just a minute. Almost immediately though, the mood was sobered by the memory, and Pietro saying, “I think I’m going to keep her in here today.” 

Natasha shook her head, “If they can’t handle it, that’s their problem. Let her go out and see them. Hell, play with her when they’re around. What we have now, Pietro, all of us…” she shook her head, “I can’t even begin to tell you what it means to me. I promise, I won’t let anyone ever take that away.”

Pietro wasn’t the type of person to get emotional, but he couldn’t help but feel moved, “I don’t know if I’ve thanked you for everything you’ve done. It’s nice to have someone to go through it with us. So we know we’re not alone. And you’ve been good to her, so good-”

“Shush. How could anyone not be good to her? Look at that sweet face.”

“She’s impossible not to love,” he agreed.

Natasha stood up, yawning, “I’m going to go assess the situation and then I’m calling Helen. You wanna get her ready?”

“I’ll let her sleep for a few more minutes. She needs it.”

Natasha nodded, and left, red hair still messy from a restless sleep. Pietro squeezed Wanda’s hand before getting up himself. He opened the curtains to the one window in the room, letting sunlight flood in and offer them all the promise of a new day. A better one, hopefully. 

“I’m wishing again,” Wanda said sleepily from the bed, “I can see it, and it’s so beautiful.”

“No, you’re beautiful,” Pietro kissed her forehead, “Are you finally going to tell me what you were wishing for?”

Wanda sat up straighter, turning away from him, “Maybe.”

He looked surprised, “Really? I thought your wishes were secrets.”

“I want to tell you, but I’m afraid.”

He pulled her back closer to him, “Baby, you don’t have to be afraid of anything.”

Wanda shook her head emphatically, which let him know that for now, the conversation was over. He tugged gently on her hair, “You ready to get up?”

She shook her head again, and instead of pulling away, threw herself into his arms and curled up on his lap, “No. I wanna stay with you forever.”

Pietro sighed, “You know, I’d like that too. But we have to go see the others.”

“I don’t _want to._ They hate me.”

“Nobody hates you, sweetheart. They just need to get to know you a little better.”

“I still don’t want to,” she whined, “Why can’t I just stay here with you?”

He stroked her cheek and said, “I promise, it won’t be scary. I’ll be right there, and so will Natasha and Clint. They wouldn’t let anyone hurt you, would they?”

“No,” she said defeatedly, “I guess not. What if Tony yells at me?”

“He won’t, but if that ever happens, you don’t have to be around him. Okay?”

 

After some amount of coaxing, Wanda finally relented, but didn’t lose any sign of nervousness. Pietro knew, just from looking at her, the way she was rocking back and forth on her heels, sucking her thumb, and letting her eyes dart frantically all around the room, that today was not going to be a fun day. She clung to his arm and whined-not about anything in particular, just made moaning noises that she used to let him know when she wasn’t happy, until he finally managed to get her dressed (another challenge when she was having a bad day) and put her hair in a braid. Afterwards, she crawled into his lap again and clung to his shirt, “I love you.”

“I love you too,” he kissed her hair, “My perfect, beautiful girl.”

“I’m not beautiful.”

“Oh, yes you are. Don’t ever believe that you are not.”

They probably would have stayed like that for a long time if Clint hadn’t opened the door, “Hey kid. I know you want to snuggle with your brother, but Steve wants to see you.”

Wanda shook her head, “No.”

“Honey, you said you were going to,” Pietro reminded her.

“Not anymore. I’m scared.”

Clint knelt down in front of her, “Hey, Steve isn’t scary. He just wants to really get to know you. I promise, he’s nice, and he really likes you.”

Wanda still looked dubious, “Really?”

“Really. Come on, we’ll all be right there. It’s okay,” he glanced up at Pietro, “Right, punk?”

Pietro nodded, “I promise nobody is going to yell at you. Here, I’ll hold your hand so you know I’m right there with you.”

Wanda stood up and let herself be led out into the main room of the tower, where Steve was sitting on a couch and laughing with Natasha and Thor. Tony was nowhere to be found, but Bruce was sitting at a table a few feet away, and threw Wanda a nervous look as soon as he saw her. On the other hand, when Steve glanced up, he smiled gently, “Hey, Wanda.”

She mumbled back a hello, while staring at the floor and clutching to her brother’s hand tightly. 

 “Sorry,” Pietro apologized, “She’s shy.”

“That’s okay,” Steve said, “That’s just fine. Wanda, can you sit down so I can talk to you? Your brother can stay with you. And your mom is right here too.”

Natasha patted the spot next to her, “Come here, baby girl. It’s okay.”

“Am I in trouble?”

“Why would you be in trouble?”

She shrugged, still looking nervous, but sat next to Natasha, who held her other hand in her own. Steve shifted so he was facing her and leaned forward, “I want you to know something, Wanda. You don’t ever have to be afraid around here. You shouldn’t ever have to feel like you need to hide, or like people don’t care about you. You are safe here. And I am very glad that you’ve become apart of our family. I’m sorry we didn’t get to know each other better sooner.”

“If there is anything you two deserve after living through such difficulties,” Thor added, “It is a place to call home.”

Pietro just stared, “Are you serious?”

“Completely.”

“I…” he trailed off, “Christ. Thank you.”

“No thanks needed. Tony’s coming around by the way, after we had him talk to Pepper. She’s always the voice of reason for him.”

Pietro didn’t bring up the fact that they hadn’t mentioned if Bruce had changed his mind-there was no reason to ruin the happy mood. 

Wanda whispered something in Natasha’s ear, who laughed out loud, “Well, your shyness passed quick. Go ahead.”

Tentatively, Wanda stood up and walked over to Steve. After wringing her hands for just a few seconds, she bent down and wrapped her arms around him. He looked surprised, but returned the gesture until she let go. 

“Is that how _you_ say thank you?” Steve asked, smiling.

“That’s how I say hello.”

 

 

The next two weeks passed smoothly. When Wanda was big, she was cheerful, relaxed, and full of energy. When she was little, she was playful, happy, and loving. She had grown to adore Steve and Thor, which Pietro was, in all honesty, very glad of, especially since they seemed to love Wanda just as much as Clint, Natasha and Helen did. Steve would sit down with her every chance he got, and would draw pictures with her for about an hour (although she generally seemed more interested in just telling him what to draw, and watching him). 

“What do you want to draw this time?” Steve asked one rainy evening.

“Baby bunnies. Lots of them.”

“Bunches of baby bunnies. Got it.”

Wanda lay on her stomach as Steve started to sketch. He ruffled her hair with his free hand, “You like animals?”

“I like all of them. I have an imagination cat. Her name is Lorna, and I love her.”

“What’s an imagination cat?” Steve asked, not looking up from his sketch.

“It’s when I play imaginations. Like playing pretend, but better. Because if you pretend things are there, they just aren’t. If you imagine things that could be there, and really believe in them, maybe one day they will be.”

“Hmm. I’ve never looked at it like that.”

“Now you can.”

Natasha hurried into the room, smoothing the front of her deep purple dress dress, and making some final adjustments to her hairstyle, “Your brother says that you need to go to bed after this Wanda. Mommy won’t be back until late,” she kissed her cheek “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Big night?” Steve raised his eyebrows.

“Well, we’ve finally got the chance to go somewhere nice, so yes, you could say that,” she checked her watch, “I’m meeting her outside. Have a good night, you two,” she glanced at Tony, who was sitting across the room, “Goodnight, Tony.”

“Night. Hey, Steve, where’s Pietro?”

“Watching a movie with Clint. Why?”

Tony was squinting at his computer, “I finally got some of the files from the Hydra base on the experiments that were performed. I wondered if he wanted to look at them.”

“I doubt that he will. And I don’t think we should talk about it in front of you-know-who.”

Wanda frowned, “Voldemort?”

“No, honey,” Steve looked slightly worried, “Tony, you look at them first. Wanda, let’s get you to bed.”

“But what’s in the files? What do they say?”

“Baby, you don’t have to worry about-”

“No!” she grabbed his arm, “I have to know! There’s something he can’t see! He’ll hate me!”

“Nobody’s going to hate you. Calm down.”

Wanda screamed, and jumped up, running to the corner and shrinking into it, as if it would make her invisible. Pietro came into the room and ran to his sister in a flash before Steve could do anything. 

“Baby girl, what’s wrong?” he took her hands in his, “Talk to me.”

“No, no, no!” she covered her face with her hands, “You can’t look at them! You can’t! I know what it’s gonna say! You won’t love me anymore,” her voice broke.

Pietro picked her up, and looked at Steve in confusion, “What is she talking about?”

Steve sighed, “Tony managed to track down the files on your time in Hydra.”

“Oh, God. No wonder she’s panicking,” he shook his head, “I ask myself every day why we ever…never mind. I’ll calm her down.”

“Do you want to see them?”

“I don’t think so. Not now, at least.”

Steve nodded understandingly, “I get it. Trust me, I really do.”

 

 

_You won’t love me anymore._

As Wanda lay next to Pietro about an hour later, curled up and cuddling Lorna, he couldn’t help but feel a little nervous at the thought of her words. He didn’t remember anything happening at Hydra that might have caused her to worry that he didn’t care about her-he had told her how precious she was to him every single time they saw each other. True, they had gone months being apart, but that didn’t mean they hadn’t been thinking of each other. And Wanda should have been able to know that he loved her, even when she was in her insecure little state. 

Pietro jumped a little when he heard Clint curse loudly in the other room. After pressing a quick kiss to Wanda’s head, he sped outside again. Tony was sitting in front of his open computer, looking somewhat dumbfounded. Thor and Steve both looked shocked and furious, and Clint had his hands balled into fists, “Pietro.”

“What?”

He looked at the others hesitantly before saying, “Sit down.”

He didn’t, “What the hell is going on?”

“Jesus Christ,” Tony groaned, “I’m sorry. This is fucking sick.”

Pietro could feel his heart start to pound, “ _What?”_

Steve bit his lip, “Maybe we should call Natasha. Or just wait until she gets back.”

“I want to know _now!”_ Pietro tried to keep himself from yelling, “The files, what did they say?”

“What was the longest they kept you two apart?”

“I-I don’t fucking know, five months? It was torture, if that’s what you’re talking about.”

Tony moaned and buried his head his hands, “Von Strucker was a dick, and I’m kinda glad Ultron got rid of him.”

Before Pietro could yell at Tony yet again, the familiar sounds of Wanda’s cries flooded down the hallway. Steve stood up, “I’ve got it.”

“No, it’s okay. I’ll talk to you once I’ve got her down again.”

“Pietro, we really need to talk to you now!” Clint yelled as he followed him down to the bedroom, “It’s really fucking serious and-”

Pietro ran in before he could finish, finding Wanda on the floor. She didn’t take any notice of him at first, and only sobbed, “Give me my brother, I want my brother!”

He knelt down next to her and pulled her onto his lap, “Shhh, Wanda. It’s okay.”

“I need you! I need my brother, don’t leave me!”

“Brother’s here, alright? I’m right here, baby girl. It’s alright honey, it was just a dream.”

“No,” she moaned, “It wasn’t. I saw it! I felt it, and I knew you were gone! You aren’t gonna love me anymore, he told me, and Mommy won’t love me either.”

“Shhh,” he rocked her back and forth, “Shhh, sweetheart. I will always love you. I promise.”

“But he said-”

" _Who_ said? You’ve gotta tell me what’s going on, baby girl. It will be okay, I promise.”

“Pietro,” Clint said softly, “Give her to me. You need to talk to Steve. Now.”

He rubbed Wanda’s back, “Can you let Clint hold you for a little while?”

Wanda nodded, still crying when Clint pulled her into his arms and started stroking her hair, “It’s okay, princess. It’s over. It’s all gone now.”

It was comforting to know that the man was so good with Wanda, but Pietro barely even cared. For some reason, he felt sick to his stomach. Terrified. 

He already felt like he knew what Steve was going to tell him. 

And when the captain sat him down and said those words-those sick, fucking disgusting, horrible, twisted words, he didn’t even care that he started crying.

“He can’t have. That can’t happen. Not to her.”

“According to the files, she didn’t consent,” Steve said flatly, “Von Strucker didn’t seem to give a damn. Because he was a sick fucking bastard.”

“Did it…say how old she was?”

“According to all the files, it seems like she was in her adult state. But there’s something else.”

Pietro didn’t really want to know, but he told Steve to go ahead and say it anyways.

“She was going to have a baby.”

Dead silence. 

Pietro wanted to scream. He wanted to smash something, to _kill_ something. He wished Ultron had never killed Von Strucker so he could do it himself.

“He got her pregnant.”

“I fucking know that. You already told me, you-just….oh, _God!”_ he stood up and without thinking, put his fist through a wall, not even noticing the pain. He hated this. He hated all of it. He knew he was yelling, but he couldn’t hear anything he said-it was probably some kind of curse to the world and everyone in it. Nobody else said anything for a very long time until finally, he fell to his knees, heaving sobs.

“That’s why she’s so afraid that people won’t love her,” Steve said, “I think Von Strucker got it in her head that if she told you, you wouldn’t want to be around her anymore, and that’s why she never told you. He was smart like that.”

“Don’t talk about him!”

“Do you want to see her?”

“No!” Pietro looked up at Steve, eyes wild, “How could I ever look at her again? How could I ever look at her and know that I failed her so badly? How do you expect me to do that?”

“She needs you. If that wasn’t obvious enough before, then it should be even more now. Go see her.”

Pietro didn’t run to the room. His feet felt like lead, and he was dragging them across the floor. 

Everything was shattering. Every last fucking thing.

Wanda had stopped crying by the time he got back, but she wasn’t asleep either. Clint had an arm wrapped around her, and was murmuring in her ear-probably a lullaby. He locked eyes with Pietro for one moment before the former looked at his sister instead, “Wanda, baby.”

“Yeah?”

“I know. I know what he did to you.”

Wanda’s face crumpled, but she didn’t cry. She looked terrified, “I’m sorry.”

“I love you.”

“He said-”

“No. I love you. I always will,” he couldn’t stop his own tears from coming as he took her in his arms, “I am so sorry.”

“Shhh,” she hugged him tightly, “It will be okay. I will be okay, too.”

“He hurt you.”

“Yes.”

“I’m sorry. I love you. I’m sorry.”

“It will be okay,” she repeated, “It’s not okay now. One day, it can be. Don’t cry.”

“Oh, Wanda,” he held her close to his heart, his soul, and everything else that made up his existence, “You deserved better.”

_So much better._


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> At this point, Wanda has become quite attached to Steve, hence why she calls him "dad" in this chapter. I almost put it in the last one, but it didn't quite work, so just assume that she started calling him that between then and now. This is another thing I wrote when I should have been asleep, so forgive me if it sucks.  
> Also, I've gotten so many kind comments from you guys, and it really means a lot to me! You are all wonderful, and I'd just like to give a great big thanks to all of you!

Doctor Misty Knight was a psychiatrist who didn’t like to be called anything but her first name. She had “Doctor Knight” on her name-tag, and on her office door, but she told all of her patients to call her Misty. She was tough as nails, and a darling at heart. Helen trusted her, therefore everyone else did, because they all trusted Helen. 

Wanda had refused to talk about what happened at Hydra since they had all found out, but of course the entire team was worried sick. Pietro and Natasha had eventually agreed to let Wanda go see a psychologist once they had been assured that she wouldn’t be trying to “fix” her. So on a sunny Monday morning, Steve took Wanda to see Misty. Pietro and Natasha had both wanted to go, but ended up staying home at Helen’s insistence, who told them that they were both going to hover and work her up. Unable to argue with that, they’d had Steve go instead. 

“You feeling okay, honey?” Steve asked her as they pulled into the parking lot of the doctor’s office, “I promise, she’s a very nice doctor. She helps lots of people deal with hard things.”

Wanda frowned, “Doctors stick needles in you.”

Steve laughed, “She’s a different kind of doctor. You’re going to talk to her, and that’s it.”

“Promise?”

“I promise. Come on, Lorna can even come in with you,” he took her hand as they walked in, “She makes things less scary, right?”

“She’s not scared of anything. Scary things just make me cry.”

“You’re still the bravest kid I know,” he said, “I’m really proud of you for being so good about this.”

Almost everything was pale in the waiting room, from the light green wallpaper, to the plastic white chairs, to the pastel uniforms the nurses were wearing. Wanda squeezed Lorna for comfort and tugged at her own bright pink dress, feeling a little bit out of place in it all. There was soft, classical music playing that she was barely able to hear over the sound of everyone talking. 

“Daddy,” she said urgently, “I want to go home.”

Steve sat down and pulled her onto the chair next to him, “It’s okay, princess.”

“I _hate_ doctors. Please, let’s go home!”

“Wanda, calm down,” Steve looked around the room hesitantly, as if he was worrying someone was going to see them. After deciding that most people seemed far too busy to pay any care about whether or not he was hugging her or not, he took her in his arms, “Daddy’s here. It’s okay.”

“I miss Pietro.”

“I know, baby. You can see him soon. Just make it through this.”

“Is she okay?” asked a girl sitting next to them. She looked to be about Wanda’s age, maybe just a little older. Her hair had two white streaks in it, and she spoke in a Southern accent. Instead of answering, Wanda hid her face away again. Steve sighed, “She’s doesn’t like doctors.”

“S’okay. I’m not too big on them either,” the girl said, “I’m here to talk to my doctor about chemotherapy. What’s your name?”

“Hey, don’t scare them off, Anna,” the man sitting next to her said jokingly. He had an accent too, but Steve couldn’t quite place it-it seemed like it was french with a southern accent. The girl ignored him and said, “You don’t have to tell me if ya don’t want to. But if you do, maybe we can be friends.”

Wanda looked up and studied the girl closely for several minutes before saying, “Maybe you can say your name first.”

“Sure. My name is Anna-Marie Adler. This is my boyfriend, Remy.”

“I’m Wanda. This is my dad.”

Steve cringed, but before he could do anything to retract the statement, Anna just said, “Cool. Why are you here?”

“I dunno. My brother said I had to. And Helen.”

“Who’s that?”

“My Mama’s girlfriend. I love her a lot, but I wish she didn’t make me come here.”

“It ain’t so bad, really. I’ve been coming for two weeks, and the doctors are really nice.”

Wanda didn’t look any more convinced than she had when they walked into the waiting room, “I still don’t like it. But we can be friends. I promise that I’ll be really nice to you.”

“I bet you will.”

A new voice sounded from the end of the room, “Wanda Maximoff?”

“That’s you,” Steve helped her up, “Go on.”

Wanda clung to him, “No.”

“Honey, I need you to be a big girl for me. Deep breaths, remember?”

“Will you be here?”

“I promise, I’ll be waiting right here the whole time.”

Wanda nervously walked over to the nurse, who led her down a hallway and into an office that wasn’t nearly as pale as the waiting room. There was a vase of bright yellow flowers on the table that made it seem a little more welcoming. Sitting on a couch was a woman in a red suit who stood up to introduce herself, “Hello, Wanda. My name is Misty.”

“Hi. I like the flowers.” 

 “Oh, those are nice, aren’t they? They’re from my very own garden,” she smiled, “Do you want to sit down? I see you’ve brought a friend.”

“They said I could bring her.”

“Of course. She’s more than welcome. I’m just going to ask you a few questions, okay? You don’t have to answer any of them if you don’t want to.”

“Okay,” Wanda sat on the couch nervously, “Like what?”

“Well, what do you like to do for fun?”

Wanda kicked her feet a little bit, “I like to hug.”

A small smile played on Misty’s lips, “I’ve never had anyone answer that question like that before. Who do you like to hug?”

“Everyone. But mostly my brother, Helen, Clint, and my mom and dad. I love them.”

“Ah, yes. Helen is your mother’s girlfriend, and Clint is your….” 

“Fairy Godmother.”

“Of course,” Misty said calmly, “So touch is comforting to you?”

Wanda looked at her strangely, “I don’t know. Is it comforting to  _you_ ?”

Misty looked a little taken aback, but recovered quickly and laughed, “Well, I think everyone needs a hug sometimes. Some, more than others. I think you like to be with your family, right? What else do you like to do with them?”

“Daddy draws, and Clint tells stories, and Helen plays with me. Mama and my brother kinda do everything. Do you have a mom or dad? Do they play with you?”

“Let’s stick with you for now. I need you to answer me honestly, okay? Are you ever afraid of your family? Any of them.”

“I’m…afraid of them leaving,” she said confusedly, “I don’t like when they’re gone.”

“What happens when they’re gone?”

“I cry,” Wanda said simply, “Bruce says it’s because I’m too clingy. He hates me.”

Misty continued to scribble in her little notebook, “Why do you feel that way?”

“I can just tell. I can tell sometimes, what people feel. Do you like fishes? I do.”

“Remember, we’re focusing on you.”

 

 

When the session was over, Misty called Steve into the office. Wanda ran into his arms, and he kissed the top of her head, “There’s my brave girl!”

“She did a great job,” Misty said, “I just need to speak with you alone for a few minutes.”

Steve nodded, “Go wait outside, princess.”

As soon as she had left, Misty started flipping through her notes, “Well, there are definitive signs of abuse there-fear of people not loving her, a desire to please everyone she meets…it goes on. I didn’t ask her any direct questions about what happened yet, but from what I have gathered, the people who take care of her, you included, are the most important thing in her life. She needs affection.”

“I noticed,” Steve admitted, “If you even smile at her, chances are she’s going to say that she loves you.”

“Unless any of this is very disruptive to your household or lives in general,” Misty said, “I wouldn’t completely discourage it. It would be very, very damaging to take away that love. Hopefully, we’ll know a little more as the weeks go on.”

Steve thanked the doctor profusely, and left the office. Outside, he found Wanda talking to that girl they had met in the waiting room earlier-Anna-Marie. 

“Oh, there’s your dad,” she said, “I was just telling Wanda that we can see each other again next week. I’ll be here.”

“Well, so will we,” Steve said, “So goodbye until then.”

Wanda hugged her newfound friend, “Goodbye, Anna-Marie Adler.”

“It’s just Anna.”

“Oh. Like I’m just Wanda?”

“Yeah, exactly like that.”

Wanda took Steve’s hand and let him lead her out to the car. As he started the drive home, he asked, “So, how was it?”

She shrugged, “Okay. It was lots of talking. We made pictures, too. It wasn’t as good as yours, though. I drew magic flowers. If you pick one, it gives you the powers of unicorns.”

Steve laughed, “That’s some imagination you’ve got there.”

“Can we draw when we get home?”

“We can do whatever you want. I’m really proud of you for talking to her, Wanda. I know it was hard.”

“I made a friend!”

That made him grimace a little bit, “I don’t know if I like her.”

“I love her.”

Steve was never quite sure how to respond to comments like that, so he just turned up the radio and focused on the road ahead. 

Everything seemed to have happened so fast. Just a few weeks ago, he had been wondering why the twins were so distant. Why Wanda would go days without leaving her room. Now he was practically her father-she seemed to think so at least, and even though he didn’t mind at all, it was a strange transition. The others always seemed to know what she wanted, and he felt a little bit lost. 

“Daddy?” Wanda said, snapping him out of his reverie, “I love you.”

Steve gripped the steering wheel tightly and felt his heart clench up. 

“I love you too.”

 

 

Natasha was terrified. It was that fucking simple. After she had come back on that dark, rainy night, and Tony had sat her down and explained what happened (Steve couldn’t bring himself to break the news twice) they had all been afraid that she was going to kill someone. At first she had been eerily quiet, and just sat there, looking down at her hands. After a while, she had turned into a raging, screaming mess, and ended up breaking a very expensive vase. Then she had cried, which was strange because she never did, and Pietro was crying too, and he certainly wasn’t the crying type. Steve had remembered thinking that if someone like Natasha was crying, the entire world must be doing the same thing. 

Right now, he wasn’t exactly sure why he had been thinking that, and he was sure that it didn’t make any damn sense, but he didn’t exactly care either. It hadn’t even been fifteen minutes since they got home, and right now Natasha had Wanda cuddled up in her arms, showing no signs of letting go anytime soon.

“Are you _sure_ it was okay?” she asked.

“Yes. I have a friend.”

Natasha looked at Steve, who said, “Some girl she met in the waiting room. I don’t actually think she recognized either one of us.”

Wanda tugged at Natasha’s shirt, “My friend’s name is Anna-Marie Adler. But I just call her Anna. It’s almost like how your name is Natasha Romanov, but I call you Mommy, and Helen calls you ‘leave me alone, I’m working.”

Steve burst out laughing, and Natasha threw him a dirty look, “I think she’s called everyone that at one point or another, including you.”

“We all know it’s out of love. Where’s Pietro?”

“Pepper made him go out on a run. He should be back any minute now. What did you think of the doctor?”

“She seemed nice,” he said, “I think this will be good for everybody. I mean, it’s not like any of us know how to handle…you know.”

Natasha looked pained, and held Wanda closer, “Can you not talk about that in front of her?”

“We have to at some point. She was the one it happened to.”

“Just _stop,”_ she said, “I don’t want her to hear that.”

Wanda seemed too preoccupied with tugging on her hair to take any notice of their conversation until Pietro came back, looking even more worried than Natasha, if that was possible. Before he could say anything, Steve told him, “It was fine. She did a great job.”

Pietro breathed a sigh of relief, “Good. Wanda, what did you think?”

“I missed you,” she ran to hug him, “But I was good, I think.”

“I’m sure you were. What did you talk about?”

“Stuff. She asked me what I like to do for fun. I said I like to hug people. But Anna was the best part. She’s my new friend.”

“I’ll explain later,” Steve cut in, “But I promise the whole thing went fine. Misty is a really nice lady.” 

“Well, she didn’t giver her a panic attack, so that says a lot, I guess. Thanks for taking her, Steve.”

“Don’t mention it. But I think she really needs some affection.”

Pietro lifted his sister into his arms and let her wrap her legs around his waist and rest her head on his shoulder, “You wanna go lie down, honey?”

“Uh-huh,” she yawned, “Will you stay?”

“Always.”

He “flashed” to the other room (that was what the team had taken to calling it whenever he moved quickly) and set Wanda down before lying down next to her and pulling her close. They stayed quiet for a while, as Pietro stroked her hair and closed his eyes, reveling in the rare of moment of peace they were finally getting. Wanda sucked on her thumb, and clutched at the fabric of her brothers’ shirt with the other. Eventually, he said, “You were such a brave girl for me today. I’m so proud of you.”

“It wasn’t _too_ scary. But why do I have to go?”

Pietro spoke carefully, “Well, her job is to help people when bad things have happened to them.”

Wanda stiffened, “No.”

“No, what?”

“Just no,” she clung to him tighter,  “Don’t leave.”

“Oh, sweetheart. Brother’s not going anywhere,” he felt himself getting nervous again, “Be honest, was it too much for you?”

“I don’t wanna talk about it. Can you sing?”

“I have a terrible voice.”

“Do not. It’s your voice, so I love it.”

He laughed, “You are too good for this world.”

“What does that mean?”

Pietro held her a little bit tighter and pressed a kiss to her cheek, “It means I’m the luckiest person who ever lived.”

 

 

“One hour every week is not that bad,” Clint said to Pietro later on, while Wanda was playing with Helen and Thor, “I think it will help, don’t you? I mean, I know it’s hard, but she needs to talk to someone. Because what happened to her was fucked up, man. I mean it was really fucked up. And I’m not even sure she understands it.”

“Of course she doesn’t. She was probably scared out of her mind. And that son of a bitch got her to believe that I was going to hate her because of it. I wish I had killed him myself.”

“Like how? Just shot him?”

“Strangulation. It takes longer.”

“Oh,” Clint stared at his beer bottle with such intensity that it may as well have been some kind of great literary work, “Can I ask you something?”

“I don’t know, can you?”

He rolled his eyes, “You’re so fucking hilarious, smartass. I just wanted to know if you ever considered….I don’t know, pursuing other people, that’s all.”

Pietro looked confused, “I don’t understand.”

“Look, kid. I know you love her, and technically she’s your girlfriend when she’s in a normal state, but would it be so terrible to date someone who isn’t your sister? Someone who doesn’t suck her thumb and watches My Little Pony? I mean, you’re a good looking guy, and there’s probably a ton of girls who’d kill to go out with you.”

“She’s actually bugged me about that a lot. When she’s older, I mean,” Pietro sighed, “It wouldn’t change anything between the two of us, but she wants for there to be someone else there too.”

“So, why isn’t there?” 

“I’ve never been interested before.”

Clint threw his hands up, “You seriously don’t want someone who you can be intimate with? I know I said that you guys are banging, but I didn’t actually mean it, because anyone can tell that you are not having sex with her, even when she’s older.”

“I can kiss her.”

“That’s not the same thing, and you know it.”

Pietro looked annoyed, “What do you want me to do?”

“I want you to live a little! I love her too, but Jesus, go out and get yourself laid.”

“I don’t have _time_ , Clint. Even with everyone helping now, taking care of Wanda is a full time job. I can’t just drop it because I want to have sex.”

“Nobody’s asking you to drop it, just to take a fucking break. You’re twenty one years old, and-”

“Clint!” Natasha hollered “Your sister’s on the phone!”

He groaned and stood up, “Just think about it, okay? I’m not trying to be a douche here, I just really think it wouldn’t be a half bad idea.” 

“Yeah. Thanks.”Pietro didn’t really think he could just sit still with his thoughts after that, and ended up wandering over to the lab, where Helen was bent over some papers and Thor was holding Wanda in his lap. She looked so tiny next to the thunder god, and Pietro couldn’t help but smile at the sight. Earlier on, he had put her hair into two ponytails, tied with green ribbons that now bounced when she ran to her brother. He spun her around, “Are you bothering Helen? That’s my favorite thing to do.”

“Ha-ha,” the doctor said, “She’s been very good, which she clearly didn’t pick up from you. Or Thor,” she threw him a dirty look, “The lab is not a battleground.”

Thor winked, “But it could be, if you would allow it.”

“Well, I don’t. Get out of here,” her voice was stern, but her eyes sparkled, “Go annoy Natasha instead.”

Wanda smiled at Thor as they left, “Thank you for playing with me.”

“It was my honor, liten stjerne,” he replied, “I feel very fortunate to have heard stories from your great imagination. Even in Asgard, there were no better tales.”

“Is Asgard far away?” she asked, clutching at Pietro’s hand, “Do you miss it?”

“Well,” Thor said, “It is quite far, but I can get there very quickly. But yes, I do miss it quite a bit. Having a family here makes it much more bearable. Maybe I will take you there one day.”

“Really?”

“Oh, yes. I think you would love it.”

Wanda sighed dreamily, “I wish I had a magic world. Maybe I’ll make one. You can all come with, though. I don’t want it to be by myself.”

“How would you go about making a magic world?” Thor asked in a joking tone, “That seems like it would be rather difficult.”

“I think if I really tried, I could do it.”

Pietro squeezed her hand, “Don’t lose that imagination, sweetheart.” 

Wanda frowned, but agreed, seemingly forgetting about it within seconds. Instead, she jumped up and down so her ponytails kept bouncing and asked, “Can I have my hair like this every day?”

“If you want, of course you can. It’s a good look on you.”

“Thor,” she said, “You could have your hair like mine, too.”

The god laughed loudly, “I am glad Tony isn’t here. He would not ever let me hear the end of that. Now, weren’t you just about to tell me about Cinderella?”

“Oh, yes. Okay, there was a girl named Cinderella who had to live with her stepmother and stepsisters. They were very mean to her, and made her work for them all the time.”

“She must have been angry at her family, then.”

“Actually,” Wanda said, “I think she loved them. That was why she was beautiful.” 


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the short and sucky chapter. Ughughugh. But prepare for a lot of cuddling. Yeah, there is so much fucking schmoop in this, like what is wrong with me.

Pietro loved his sister. He loved her more than anything in the entire world. Anyone he met would know right away that Wanda was the center of his universe, point blank, no questions asked.

But God, she scared him sometimes. No matter how young she got, some of the things she did just weren’t within the realm of the ordinary, andwhether it was whispering to herself when she thought nobody was looking, hiding in small spaces for hours until somebody found her, yanking on her hair, clawing at her arms and face, not speaking for days, or dropping to the floor and just lying there crying, Pietro had found that he was eternally grateful for all the help of the Avengers now. He and Clint had been spending a significant more amount of time together, which he enjoyed immensely, even if he never said it. The archer was a good person to vent to, especially when Wanda had done something to terrify her brother. Lately, Pietro had been worried that Wanda just seemed way too stuck in her own mind-and in a way, he felt like he was getting stuck in his. At least he had ways of coming back down to earth though-for his sister, it wasn’t that easy. _Everything_ was always harder for her. 

She was usually the one with the nightmares too, to such an extent that pretty much all the Avengers had developed individual routines on what to do if they happened to be the one who was there when she woke up. Pietro usually just ended up rocking her back and forth and shushing her, sometimes picking her up and walking up and down the halls with her, which she found soothing for some reason. But on this night in particular, it wasn’t her who woke up in a cold sweat from a dream about something happening to her sibling-it was him.

 

_And it is a very strange dream._

_There is a garden, full of flowers that are brightly colored, but still horribly ugly. A few have teeth, others have eyes, and some have both, hissing and snapping at him as he walks down the dusty pathway to a small patch of grass. He knows it’s Wanda who stands there. Even though she is with her back facing him, he’d know her anywhere. He smiles, “What are you doing?”_

_“Hurting.”_

_“How bad?”_

_“So bad. I want it to stop.”_

_Pietro moves forward, hands outstretched, “Come here darling, I’ll make it better. It’s okay.”_

_“You can’t,” she says sadly, “I’m not okay. I’m not.”_

_“Wanda, look at me. I promise, it will be alright. Where are you hurting?”_

_She doesn’t move for a very long time, just stands there crying. The flowers that were hissing and snapping have suddenly wilted and died. Pietro is not sure why, but he doesn’t find this comforting. When Wanda starts to move, the entire garden shakes, letting light pink leaves from the tall blue trees fall down onto them. Pietro doesn’t have time to wonder why blue trees have pink leaves, because Wanda is looking at him, and her pretty green eyes look dead. She takes her thumb out of her mouth slowly and grabs at the skirt of her dress. It’s very pretty, almost princess-like, but it’s covered with a bright red stain. Wanda touches it gingerly, letting her finger trace the trail of red all the way up to where her heart is supposed to be._

_Where it’s supposed to be. It’s gone. Carved out of her body. She looks at him with tears in her eyes, “It’s too much.”_

_“Wanda!” he tries to keep himself from yelling, but he’s terrified, “Who did this to you?”_

_“Nobody. It’s a present now. That makes it hurt a little less. I want you to have it. Do you want it?”_

_“What are you-?”_

_He feels something in his hand, something warm, and wet, and pulsing. He looks down and almost screams._

_“You need to put it back, Wanda! Now!”_

_She starts crying again when she falls down, “Take it away from me. I don’t want it anymore!”_

_“You’ll die.”_

_Wanda fades fast, far too fast for him to do anything. She’s on the ground, but she looks up at him, eyes once full of trust now full of fear and something else that he can’t put his finger on, and doesn’t particularly want to._

_And even if he did want to, he doesn’t have time to figure it out._

_Because before her head hits the floor, he knows that she’s gone._

 

“Fuck!”

Pietro sat up so fast that he nearly fell off the bed. Breathing heavily, and heart pounding, he tried to readjust to where he was. Safe, at home. Wanda was okay, she was alive.

Well, she was alive, but she wasn’t _there_ specifically. Pietro frowned when he noticed the empty spot in the bed that she usually occupied. After that dream, he definitely didn’t need her running off and hiding in the middle of the night. He was still pretty terrified as he got up and moved down the hallway silently until he heard her voice. He wasn’t sure what she was saying, it was too soft, but it was enough to make him quietly call, “Wanda, is that you?”

There was silence, and then her response, “Yes.”

“You’re supposed to be in bed,” he walked over to scoop her up into his arms, “What were you doing?”

“Playing.”

“You are going to be the death of me.”

Wanda reached up to touch his face, concern in her eyes, “You are scared.”

“Oh, no sweetheart. It was just a dream I had, that’s all.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t you worry about it.”

“Do you want me to leave you alone? I can go sleep in Mommy’s room.”

Pietro shook his head as he lay her back down and followed suit, “It would make me feel a lot better if I get a hug from my princess.”

Wanda cuddled up close to him, the way she always did, but this time Pietro felt himself appreciating it even more than usual. Her soft breathing, fluttering eyelids, hands clutching at him, and beating heart were the most comforting thing in the world in that moment. He held her as close as he could, breathing in the scent of her hair-that lavender shampoo that Natasha loved to use on it. Wanda leaned up all the way so she could give him a quick kiss on his forehead and whispered, “I love you.”

How was it possible that three words she said to him constantly had the power to make him the happiest man in the world?

“I love you too,” he said just as quietly, if not more, “So much.”

 

Morning dawned with sunshine and a forecast that meant the Avengers could thank God for air conditioning. The entire tower was completely hectic, with everyone running in every direction possible. While Thor held Wanda in his lap so Natasha could do her hair, Pietro ended up bumping into Clint right before the archer left.

“Busy?”

“Got some errands to run. I’ll be back soon,” he made a face, “You look tired.”

“Yeah, just…it was a nightmare, nothing really,” Pietro rubbed at his eyes, “It happens. I just needed to hug her, and then I was really okay.”

Clint looked a little uncomfortable, “You know, you can always come see me if you’re having a hard night. I kind know how it is, you know? Nightmares and bad memories and stuff like that. I mean, Wanda is so unstable that hers just get amplified to be one hundred times worse, but we’ve all been there. And if you need to talk or anything-”

“Did you just invite me into your bed?”

“Don’t push it, Sonic. I’ll see you later,” he waved, “Bye, Wanda.”

“Bye,” she said, “Come back, please. We’ll be very sad if you don’t.”

Clint laughed, “I will see what I can do.”

“Keep still, missy,” Natasha muttered as she tried to work a brush through Wanda’s hair, “You’re not done yet.”

The girl listened, and put her hands folded in her lap. When Natasha had finished tying the ribbons that went over the tiny pieces of elastic holding the ponytails in place, Wanda asked, “Can we play stories now?”

“Aw, honey. Mama’s gotta go to a very boring meeting with some very boring people,” Natasha stood up and kissed her cheek, “I’ll play with you later, okay? Be a good girl for your brother.”

“Okay. But Mama, don’t take the road you usually do when you come home. Go another way.”

Natasha looked confused, “Why?”

“Just don’t go that way. Promise?”

“Alright,” she still looked bewildered, “I promise.” 

Thor intervened before Wanda had a chance to panic, and asked, “I will tell you a story, liten stjerne. Let your brother rest, he had a difficult night.”

“Okay,” she leaned back in his arms, “I’ll be good, I promise.”

“You always are,” he said, smiling fondly, “You remind me of my sister in some ways.”

“You had a sister?”

“I did indeed. Her name was Angela.”

“Does she live in Asgard? Do you get to see her?”

“No, little one,” he sounded a little sad, “I haven’t seen her in a very long time. But it doesn’t matter now. You want to hear Cinderella again?”

Wanda nodded, and put her thumb in her mouth-a habit that they had all stopped trying to get her to break a long time ago. She found it comforting, and if she didn’t do it when she was awake, she did it subconsciously in her sleep anyways. It wasn’t lost on Pietro that Thor seemed to look at her with some kind of pity and sadness, evidenced by the way he held her-close, but also very carefully, as if he were afraid he was going to break her. When he told her stories, his voice was always measured and slow. When he finished however, he seemed to let loose a little bit, picking her up and swinging her in the air so she shrieked with laughter until someone reminded them that they were going to break something. Afterwards, Wanda ran to her room where Pietro was sitting by the window and threw her arms around him, “Do you feel better from last night?”

“Much better. Thank you, sweetheart.”

“What was your dream about? Daddy told me it helps to talk about them sometimes.”

Pietro _definitely_ did not want to tell her what it had been about, “It was nothing. I don’t want you to think about it, alright?”

“But-”

“Hush. You worry too much.”

“So do you.”

“Well, it’s my job. You’re not supposed to worry about anything,” as soon as the words left his mouth, he regretted them, realizing that Wanda had had an awful lot to worry about and deal with all by herself since Hydra. She seemed to be thinking this too, as her face fell and she said, “I can’t help it.”

“Oh, my sweet baby girl. I know,” he pulled her close and stroked her hair, “I just want you to be happy, that’s all.”

“But I’m with you. How could I not be happy?”

“God,” he sighed, “You are too good for me.”

“I’m glad. I promised Mama that I would be good.”

“Well, can you be good for me and rest for a little while?”

Wanda groaned. Because she usually had terrible dreams at night and didn’t sleep very well after she had them, her family had started making her sleep in the day for at least an hour. She knew they meant well, but that didn’t mean she liked it, “I wanna play with you.”

“You can play when you wake up. Go on, it’s not that bad.”

She sighed and dragged her feet before flopping on the bed, “Will you wake me up soon?”

“Yes. Just try to sleep a little bit. I’m going to go see what Thor is doing.”

“Wait!” she sat up, arms outstretched, “We have to hug first!”

Pietro laughed and wrapped his arms around her, “We’d better make this quick, or I’m not going to want to let go.”

“ _I_ don’t want you to let go.”

Neither of them ever did, really. That’s what made hugs hurt the most.

 

 

Natasha came home about forty minutes later, while Thor and Pietro were half watching and half ignoring some sort of survival reality show on TV. She looked harried, nervous, and more than a little on edge, “Turn that off. Where’s Wanda?”

“Taking a nap. I should wake her up soon.”

Natasha took a deep breath, “Can she see the future?”

Pietro looked at her strangely, “Not that I’m aware of. Why?”

“Because you know how she told me to take a different way home than I usually do?”

“Yes.”

“I usually go over this bridge, and today there was this huge accident on it. Like, a semi truck crashed or something.”

The two men just stared at her. Thor finally said, “That is quite strange.”

“Of course it’s strange! How could she have known that was going to happen?”

“Maybe it was just a coincidence.”

Natasha snorted, “Yeah, right. Look me in the eye and tell me you believe that. Is it really so hard to believe that she can see stuff that hasn’t happened yet?”

Pietro glanced over his shoulder worriedly, “I suppose it’s possible. But that’s never happened before. And if she could predict some accident on a bridge, why can’t she see other things? Why couldn’t she see what was going to happen with Ultron?”

“Maybe she can’t control what she sees. It’s not like she’s got a great handle on her powers most of the time anyways,” Natasha sighed, “I need to go to her.”

Wanda was already beginning to stir when her mother shook her gently. She hated to wake her, since she always looked pretty adorable when she was all curled up and asleep-although she was probably even more so when she blinked and whispered, “Mama?”

“Hey, hon. I need you to wake up for me, okay? Come on, there’s my pretty girl.”

Wanda yawned and let Natasha lift her up so she could sit on her lap and wrap her arms around her neck. Natasha rocked her a little, running her fingers through her hair, “I need to talk to you about something.”

“Am I in trouble?”

“No. I just wanted to know how you knew I shouldn’t take the regular way home today. What told you that?”

“I just knew.”

“But how did you know? Did you have a dream about it?”

“No, Mommy. I just _knew_.”

Natasha let go, “Baby, how could you have just known?”

“I don’t know, but I did,” Wanda shrugged nonchalantly, “Can we play now?”

“I think Clint just got home. Do you mind playing with him for a little while? I need to talk to your brother.”

Wanda nodded, “Okay.”

Natasha bumped into Clint on her way out and said, “She wants to see you. And we need to talk later. Pietro, come here.”

He appeared in front of her in a flash, eyes full of worry, “What did she say?”

“I don’t think she knows how she did it. Maybe Thor’s right, it could have been a coincidence.”

“Maybe we should talk to Doctor Knight about it? And Helen.”

“Yeah, definitely,” Natasha rubbed her temples, as if she was getting a headache, “God, we’re overreacting, aren’t we? It’s just that everything is a worry with her.”

“It really is,” he agreed, “But let’s try not to freak out about it now. I don’t want to make her think she did something wrong.”

“I know. But it did make me wonder, what was your dream about last night? Clint told me.”

“He doesn’t know how to keep his mouth shut, does he?”

“He was worried about you, and to be honest, so am I. I’m worried about both of you, so spit it out.”

Pietro sighed, and leaned against a wall, shutting his eyes tightly, as if he was trying to remember, “It was one of the strangest dreams I’ve ever had. I would know if she had projected it onto me by accident, so I’m sure it wasn’t that. But she was in it.”

“Doing what?”

“Standing in a garden. She wouldn’t look at me at first. She said she was hurting, and I told her I’d make it better, so she turned around. And… _fuck_ , it was weird. Her heart was missing. Like someone had ripped it out. And then I looked down and I was holding it. That’s when I woke up.”

“Jesus Christ. That’s creepy as hell.”

“What do you think it means?”

Natasha opened her mouth, then shut it tightly, looking away.

“I don’t know. I really don’t know.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just to make it clear, Wanda did not give Pietro that dream. I was so sure that was gonna be confusing, and then I wrote it anyways, because reasons.
> 
> Litjen Stjerne means Little Star. I think Thor would probably love Wanda. And in this universe, Thor grew up knowing Angela, but she died pretty young. He looks at Wanda as another little sister of sorts. 
> 
> I totally imagine pouting Wanda as looking like Lizzie Olsen in this pic: http://i5.cdnds.net/14/18/450x450/elizabeth_olsen_marie_claire_interview_on_mary_kate_and_her_engagement_day_bag_handbag.jpg
> 
> AKA she is totally adorable. 
> 
> Also, we are possibly (just possibly) getting in House of M type stuff territory here. Sorry not sorry.
> 
> When the heck did this story start having a plot? Ah, well. As I write it, I will also continue to update "I Don't Believe in Fairytales" and when it's done, I'm starting a children of the Avengers fic! And along the way, will come a longish LokixMale OC oneshot, that I've wanted to write forever, and am just starting on now. So yeah shameless self promotion and lots of stuff coming up! I might even make a sequel type thing to this fic, but we'll have to see.  
> Also, speaking of other stories, particularly those about the children of the Avengers, maximoffs-against-the-world just wrote a super adorable story about that very subject, so go and check it out! I hope that doesn't sound creepy, I just really loved her story, and totally recommend that you read it.


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Angst. Angst everywhere. Also so much fucking Clint and Wanda fluff that the fluff gods were disgusted by me. And I am also disgusted by me.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Do you ever just start writing something and then you read some else's fic and then you go back and read your own fic, and then you bang your face on your keyboard and say to yourself, "YOUUUUU SUCCKKKKKK"
> 
> Yeah, that happened a lot when I was writing this chapter, but I do kinda like how it turned out. Pietro and Natasha go on faraway missions together because A. I'm a terrible person to the characters I love and B. I was just REALLY in the mood to write some Clint and Wanda hurt/comfort fluffiness, as well as some daddy!Steve mixed in there. Behold, the result.

“Wanda, look at me.”

As much as she loved him, Wanda did not want to look at Clint. So far, they’d had a perfect day-he had taken her outside, which she rarely got to do, and then they had gone to the park where they got ice cream. Wanda had been beyond happy a few seconds ago, but now it was becoming apparent that he wanted to have a serious conversation, and she knew that it was going to ruin the whole day.

He was talking again, “I was talking to Misty, you know. She says that you’ve been having a hard time lately.”

Wanda just shrugged and looked at the ground, tilting her head forward so her hair fell into her face. At this point, it just felt strange when it wasn’t in her ponytails, but unless she was going to see Misty, she was never allowed to wear them outside. Clint leaned over and tucked the strands behind her ears, “I was wondering if maybe you could talk to me about what happened? You know….” he cleared his throat, “You know what that man did to you was wrong, right?”

“I know,” she mumbled.

“Do you remember it?”

“Yes.”

“Can you tell me-”

“Clint,” she looked up at him, “Can we talk about other things?”

He sighed, “I know it’s hard, but we all need to understand exactly what happened so we can help you in the best way possible. Do you understand?”

“I don’t know. I can’t.”

“You can’t what?”

“I just can’t,” her voice was starting to shake, “ _Please_ don’t make me!”

Clint took her hand quickly, “Okay. I didn’t mean to upset you. We don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to.”

Wanda didn’t exactly seem to relax, but she was no longer on the verge of hysterics. Clint internally cursed at himself for thinking it was a good idea to talk to her about this in public. A small part of him had thought it would work if she was around other people, that she wouldn’t want to break down in front of anyone else.

But it seemed like Wanda was getting so stuck in her own mind that she barely noticed other people besides her family anymore. It worried Natasha, Pietro, and Helen (or as Clint now liked to refer to them as “The Big Three), and now it was driving the rest of the Avengers insane too. It wasn’t that he didn’t like taking care of Wanda-he adored her beyond words, but there was a part of her that she was keeping hidden away from the rest of the world, and it was killing him to watch it hurt her.

Wanda broke him out of this thoughts, “Could I be a bird one day?”

“Why would you want to be a bird?”

She looked upwards, “They can fly away.”

Clint picked at a loose thread on his shirt, and instead of pressing that subject further, said, “Come on. Let’s go home.”

Wanda jumped up and clung to his arm as they walked, “I love you.”

“I love you too.”

“How much?”

“So much.”

She seemed to turn those words over in her head, closing her eyes and letting the idea soak into her soul. If Wanda constantly telling people she loved them made everyone else happy, it was nothing compared to how her eyes lit up when someone said it to her. Like it fucking blew her mind that somebody cared about her that much. And then she would look at you with those big, shining eyes, like you were the greatest thing to ever walk the planet. It was right then that Clint realized that the sweetest things about Wanda were very often the saddest. 

She looked at him tentatively and asked, “Maybe we can talk about it a little. But just because I have a question.”

Clint stopped short and took her by the shoulders so he could look down directly at her, “What is it, sweetheart? You can ask me anything.”

“Do you think my baby could come back to see me?” she looked hopeful.

Clint felt like he had been stabbed right in the heart, and had to resist the urge to take Wanda into his arms so he could just hold on to her and never let her go. To take all her hurt away and hide her from everything that was wrong in the world. When he spoke, the words came out  choked, “N-no, angel. I’m sorry.”

“Not even if I wish really hard? I keep trying.”

This time, Clint didn’t resist the urge, and pulled her to his chest, wrapping his arms tightly around her. They didn’t stay like that for long, but before he let go, he whispered, “You know, if I could make all your wishes come true, I would.”

“I know,” she said softly, “But you’re still the best fairy godmother.”

 

 

“It was terrible, Nat. You should have seen her face,” Clint lifted his head from his arms as Natasha leaned over the kitchen counter towards him, coffee in her hands, “She just looked at me, and I realized that this is a kid! All of this sick shit happened to a little girl!”

“I know,” she hunched her shoulders, “Do you think I should find an excuse to stay home from the mission? Maybe Steve could go instead. It’s gonna be hard without Pietro here either.”

“No, I think they need you two for this one,” Clint sighed, “Steve and I will take care of her, and I can call Helen if things get bad. She _wasn’t_ feeling well though, and I’ve just been praying that she doesn’t get sick.”

“Call me if she does, okay? I hate leaving her,” Natasha set her coffee down, “I guess we’d better get going. Where’s Pietro?”

“Probably giving her as many hugs and kisses as he possibly can.”

She raised an eyebrow, “Do you like him?”

“How the hell did you even come to that conclusion?”

“I know you better than anyone. And you guys have been hanging out a lot lately, and every time you come back, you look super happy. Like a teenager who just went on a date to the movies with the captain of the football team.”

Clint’s mouth dropped open, “Please tell me you’re joking.”

“Just let me know when you’ve properly asked him out. I want to be the first to tell everyone that I called it.”

He groaned, “You’d better keep this to yourself, Romanov.”

“No promises,” she winked, “Oh, Pietro. There you are.”

Clint whirled around so fast that he almost knocked Natasha’s coffee off of the counter, causing her to snicker. He shot her a dirty look and said to Pietro, “This was pretty last minute, huh?”

“This Nick Fury guy sure wants us to work,” he replied grudgingly, “We should be back tomorrow night.”

“Be careful.”

Pietro rolled his eyes, “Don’t tell me you’re super concerned about my well being.”

“I can’t tell if you’re being sarcastic or sincere, but either way, it’s annoying as hell. Now get going, I don’t want to be around you anymore.”

Wanda clutched to her brother’s arm so tightly that it took Clint a good thirty seconds to pull her off. Pietro seemed to be trying very hard not to look her directly in the face, probably because just one look at those big green eyes could convince just about anyone to do anything. Instead, he kissed her cheek, “I promise, I’ll see you tomorrow night. I love you.”

“You promise you will?”

“I promise. Go hug your mom.”

Wanda let Natasha hold her for a moment, “I love you, Mama.”

“I love you too. Be a good girl, okay?”

“Okay,” she stepped back, lip trembling. Clint could sense the breakdown coming on, so he ushered Natasha and Pietro out the door before turning and saying, “What do you want to do, sweetheart?”

Wanda still looked shaken, but held her arms out, “Hugs?”

He lifted her up, “You can have all the hugs you want. I’m sorry you’re having a hard day.”

“I don’t like it when they’re gone,” her voice was muffled against his shoulder, “It’s too scary.”

“I know. It’s okay, I promise.”

Wanda started coughing almost violently, her entire body shaking. Clint rubbed her back, “Are you not feeling well?”

“I’m _not_ sick.”

He frowned, “Maybe I should-”

“I’m not sick, really.”

Clint reminded himself that he needed to go easy on her, “Okay. You want to go see your daddy?”

“Yes,” she let go, “I can walk, though.”

“There’s my big girl. But I don’t mind carrying you, you know.”

Wanda just shrugged and took his hand, leading him into Steve’s room, where he was sitting by the window, reading a book. As soon as he saw who had entered, his face lit up, “Come here, princess. I’ve barely seen you today.”

“What are you reading?”

Steve laughed and put it away, “You wouldn’t like it.”

Clint couldn’t help but find this very ironic, since it was a history book that older Wanda would have loved, but the thought came as quickly as it went while Steve said, “Should we draw some more baby animals?”

Wanda frowned, “Okay, but only if I’m not bothering you.”

“You never bother me, Princess,” he leaned back, “You do look a little sick, though. Do you need to lie down?”

“No,” she wrapped her arms around his neck, “I wanna be with you and Clint.”

“Alright, alright,” Steve rocked her a little and looked up at the archer, “You know, my mother used to say that there is something about affectionate little kids that can turn anyone into mush.”

“And?”

“I always thought that was ridiculous until now. This girl has got us both doomed.”

Clint laughed, “To tell you the truth, I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

Things were usually really, really bad when Pietro and Natasha weren’t there, but Clint was actually starting to think that this might be a pretty successful night. Wanda seemed a bit under the weather, but she was still happy to play with everyone else for the day. Tony genuinely liked her at this point, and although he still didn’t seem exactly sure how to act around her, he was pretty friendly when he saw her drawing with Steve. Bruce didn’t say anything really, but even he offered Wanda a small smile when she showed him Steve’s picture of baby birds. By the time they were wrapping up watching _Frozen_ that night, Clint could honestly say that he was happy. Wanda had her head Steve’s lap, who kissed her hair, “Time to go to sleep, honey.”

She rubbed her eyes and stood up. Clint couldn’t help but notice that her face was flushed and her body was shaking, especially when she started coughing again. Steve picked her up and carried her to bed, “I think you _are_ sick.”

“Am not,” Wanda burrowed under the covers as soon as he put her down, “Goodnight, Daddy. I love you.”

Steve sighed and gave her one more hug, “I love you too, baby girl. Sweet dreams. Clint’s gonna lie down with you, okay?”

“Kay,” she yawned, closing her eyes. Clint slid in next to her and let her cling to him, “Let’s see how she feels tomorrow.”

“Okay, but wake me up if she gets bad,” Steve said, “Night, Barton.”

“See you tomorrow, Cap.”

Wanda was sucking on her thumb now, looking peaceful, which was so rare lately that Clint almost laughed with relief. He squeezed her free hand, “Goodnight, baby girl. I love you so much.”

He wasn’t absolutely sure, but he thought he heard her whisper, “I love you more.”

 

 

When he was happy, Clint slept well the entire night. Unfortunately, as happy as he was, this was not going to be one of those times, because as per usual, Wanda’s crying woke him up. He blinked and outstretched his hand to the spot where she was supposed to be, and sat up straight in a panic when he found it empty, “Wanda?”

 _Fuck._ He hoped to hell that she wasn’t sleepwalking again-the last time that had happened, Pietro had found her outside on the street. This time however, the crying seemed to come from the bathroom. Clint walked in cautiously, confused when he didn’t see her at first. It took a few seconds to realize that she was lying on the cold tile floor on her stomach. 

“Wanda!” he knelt down next to her, “Are you okay?”

She didn’t respond in any way. He might as well have not been there at all, so he raised his voice, “Honey, please tell me what wrong.”

Wanda lifted her head to look at him, and he winced. Yeah, definitely sick.

“I don’t feel good,” she sobbed, “And I kept throwing up, and I’m _sorry-”_

“Oh, sweetheart. It’s okay, it’s not your fault,” Clint sat her up, “Here, take this off, and I’ll clean you up, okay?”

Wanda just kept crying and pulled away, “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry!”

“Honey, don’t apologize. It happens. You want me to get your daddy?”

 “No,” she managed, “J-just you.”

“Okay. Come on, I’m gonna have to wash your hair.” 

Wanda was still in hysterics, so Clint ended up just getting her nightgown off of her himself before turning on the shower. This should have felt weird, and just a few months ago, he would have thought it was completely out of the realm of possibility for him to do. 

But there was nothing strange about it right now. Clint didn’t even think twice about any of it until he finally got her dressed again and she threw herself into his arms, sobbing into his chest, still stuttering out half formed apologies. Clint rocked her back and forth as gently as he could, “You’ve got nothing to be sorry for, princess. Shhh, I’ve got you, alright? I’ve got you, and I’m gonna make it okay.”

“I’m not in trouble?”

“No, baby. Don’t you get upset at yourself. It’s not your fault,” still holding her, Clint stood up, “Let’s put you into bed. I’ll go get your dad.”

She whimpered even as he pressed a kiss to her forehead, and stretched her arms upwards, which was usually code for _cuddle me._ Clint gave her a gentle smile, “I’ll give you hugs in just a few minutes. Do you want Lorna?”

Wanda nodded, and clutched the cat close to her chest, like it was her most prized possession (which, Clint realized, it probably was). He ran down the hall and practically banged on Steve’s door until he opened it, not caring if he woke the whole tower. When the captain’s face appeared, his expression was full of worry, “It got bad?”

“I think she has the flu, and I don’t know where Stark keeps his medication for things that don’t involve superhuman battles. Do you mind looking?”

Steve was already out the door, “Let me see her first.”

Wanda was sniffling from either tears or the illness when they found her curled up on the bed. Steve stroked her hair, “Not feeling well, huh?”

“Everything hurts,” she moaned.

“I know, baby girl. It’s all going to be okay. Can I do anything to make it better?”

“I just want it to stop!”

He kissed her cheek, “I know, princess. I promise, it will go away soon. You just need to rest. I’m going to stay with you, okay?”

Clint opened his mouth to argue, but Steve said, “You can catch it, I can’t.”

“Oh. Right,” his head was spinning, “Just try to get her to sleep and I’ll see if I can get her to take something in the morning.”

“Got it. Call Natasha and Pietro. It’s probably going to worry them, but I don’t want to not tell them,” Steve pulled Wanda onto his chest, “Shhh. Daddy’s here, sweetheart. Everything’s gonna be okay.”

Clint left, breathing a sigh of relief and thanking god for Steve-having someone on hand who could cuddle the sick kid without getting sick himself was pretty damn helpful. But the stress of the night’s events weighed heavily on Clint’s shoulders, especially as he remembered their conversation from earlier. The look in her eyes, full of childlike hope and motherly love, dashed when she realized that what she wanted was something she couldn’t have. The fear in her eyes when Pietro and Natasha had left. The humiliation and terror he had seen when he looked at her as she lay on the bathroom floor. He could cuddle her and say “I love you” and call her his princess as much as he wanted, but Wanda was broken, and there wasn’t a damn thing he could do about it.

_If I could make all your wishes come true, I would._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I need to stop writing this stuff in the middle of the night/early morning like really.


	12. Little Stars

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ughughugh what is wrong with me. I kinda like how this turned out? I don't know. :p Here it is, enjoy.  
> Also, I used prompts in this one (YAY!) Winchester_In_The_Glade who gave me a prompt where that Wanda and Pietro start making out when she's in her older state of mind, and Nat walks in. Back in Chapter 7, book thieves suggested a scene where Wanda, in her older state, hears the others talking about stuff she does when she's little, and scifiunicorn prompted for more Thor and Wanda fluff (there is so much of that in this chapter) and learning more about Wanda's time at Hydra. I am incredibly sorry if I didn't do your ideas justice, but I want you all to know that I adore you for sending them, and that they were WAY helpful. You guys are the real MVP's.

_Wanda was cold. Freezing from the inside out._

_She wanted her brother. She wanted him to cuddle her close and give her kisses and tell her it was okay, that he would make it better. She wanted him to him to hold her on his lap and stroke her hair and sing to her and tell her that she was his favorite person in the world. She remembered his voice, so clear that he may as well have been right there when she asked him, “Can it be like this forever?”_

_She remembered him kissing her cheek and saying, “If you want it to be. You’ll always be my baby girl, okay? And I will always love you.”_

_It wasn’t like that now. It wasn’t just the two of them. It was Wanda, no Pietro, and nobody else._

_Well, the baby too. But he or she couldn’t talk to her. Wanda touched her stomach, “Hi, honey. I’m your Mama.”_

_The guard standing in the corner of the room made an odd noise, which sounded a little bit like a sob or a laugh, or something in between. Wanda wanted to ask him if he was alright, but stopped herself before the words came out. The guards were scary, and she didn’t want them to hit her. Instead, she said to her stomach, “I love you so much. I promise that I’ll be a good mama. I wish I had one,” she felt a little selfish for saying that, or even wanting that, so she hurriedly continued, “But it’s okay. I have my brother, and he’s gonna love you too. He’s the best, really.”_

_It felt a little strange to have a baby with her. Wanda recalled seeing mother’s on the street with their little ones and asking Pietro if she could have a baby someday._

_“Maybe,” he had said, with a worried look on his face. But she had given up on the idea right then, because he said “maybe” in the same voice he used when he really meant no._

_Wanda guessed that he would be really surprised when he found out. They hadn’t seen each other in so long, because for some reason, they didn’t want her to see him after they found out she was having a baby. It was too bad, because being pregnant was not a lot of fun, and Wanda missed Pietro._

_She was pulled out of her thoughts by the feeling of bony fingers on her shoulder and someone saying her name. Looking up, she met the eyes of a woman named Abra, who she had gotten_ _to know pretty well at this point. She had been sent to take care of Wanda and the baby, and while she didn’t exactly act happy about it, she was nice enough, and she didn’t hit. Wanda smiled at her, “My baby will be here soon.”_

_The woman looked nervous, “You…I mean the child, has grown,” she set her hand on Wanda’s abdomen, “It is hard for you to carry. Too hard.”_

_“It’s okay,” Wanda told her, because it really was. No matter how uncomfortable she got, she loved her baby, and that was very important. Abra still looked unconvinced and said, “How do you feel?”_

_“Aching. I miss Pietro. When can I see him again?”_

_She asked that question every single chance she got, even though it never elicited a response. Today, however, Abra looked at her with deep, sad eyes._

_“Soon.”_

 

Wanda blinked. She wasn’t cold anymore-she felt warm and safe. Someone was holding her and singing softly. She recalled waking up that morning, still sick. Steve, Clint and Helen had taken care of her in turns, until Thor finally took over and let her watch a movie with him before rocking her to sleep. Now she was in the living room, familiar arms surrounding her. 

“Thor?” she looked up at him, tears threatening to spill over. She tried to hold them back and rubbed her hands with her fists while Thor let her snuggle close to him again. He stroked her hair gently, “There’s my little star. How are you feeling?”

Wanda didn’t respond. Her mouth felt frozen, refusing to move. Thor looked concerned, “Darling, what’s wrong?”

After a moment, she found her voice, “Dreams.”

Thor kissed the top of her head, “They weren’t real, little one. Dreams are just that-dreams.”

Wanda knew that it hadn’t been just a part of her imagination, but she didn’t want to elaborate on it. She leaned her head on his chest and asked, “Can I go play now?”

“You’re still sick, Wanda. Try to rest.”

“I don’t _want_ _to._ I’m gonna dream again. _”_

“Sweet child, you must know that I would never let anything that comes to your mind hurt you. You are safe here, remember?”

Wanda shrugged, “It’s still scary.”

He sighed, “I know. Just close your eyes, and know that I am here, and that I will never, ever let any harm come to you. If there are monsters, I will scare them off.”

“Even the really big ones?”

“Even if they are the greatest terror the nine realms has ever seen. If they try to hurt you, I will come at them with all of my fury.”

Wanda giggled, “But you’re not ever angry.”

Thor gave her a look of mock offense, “Are you implying that _I_ am not terrifying?”

“No, you’re not scary. You’re just big.”

He put a hand to his heart, “You have gravely wounded me. Now I am going to have to show you just how intimidating I can be.”

Wanda shrieked with laughter as he stood up and swung her around, her hair flying out in all directions. Thor laughed too, “Now, do you find me terrifying?”

“No! This is fun!”

Thor set her down and sat on the couch, pulling her into his lap once more, “I surrender. You are so brave that even I cannot scare you. Maybe now you will even feel brave enough to fight against those nightmares, too.”

Wanda considered that, “I guess I can try. But can we do the star song first?”

“Hmm,” he held her a little closer, “I’m afraid I can’t remember how it goes. You will have to remind me.”

She smiled, “Do you know how many stars there are in the blue sky of the night?”

Thor closed his eyes, “Let’s see…oh, yes. Do you know how many clouds so fair fly over Midgard’s height?”

Wanda nestled into his arms, “Our gods do know their number, none is missing, we may slumber.”

“Do you know how many stars there are in the blue sky of the night?” Thor kissed her temple, “There, that’s the song.”

“We didn’t do the birds and fishes part.”

“Oh, of course! How could I have forgotten?”

It was a routine they had gone over so many times that neither one noticed when Bruce came in and almost tripped over a chair at the scene in front of him. Everybody thought it was strange that he hadn’t gotten used to the idea at this point, but he refused to talk about it, and didn’t really acknowledge Wanda unless he had to. But right now, instead of leaving the room in a haste, he leaned against the wall and listened. 

Wanda’s eyes were closed now, and her words were becoming quieter, “Do you know how many children are sleeping safe and sound tonight?”

Thor looked like he might be falling asleep too, “And tomorrow rising happily in the golden morning light?”

“Our gods do love them every one, and each to them is dear and known.”

“And they know and love you too, sweet child. And they know and love you too.”

After that, it only took a few minutes for her to fall asleep again. Thor stroked her hair, noticing Bruce for the first time, “You look uneasy, Banner.”

He pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose, “Aren’t you afraid that she’s going to…” he waved his hands, “Go all psychotic witch on you?”

Thor looked annoyed, “No, I am not. And if you are referring to what happened with Ultron, which I’m assuming you are, I feel I should remind you that she thought you were in league with the man who killed her parents and destroyed her home. I’m not saying what they did was _right,”_ he continued as Bruce opened his mouth to argue, “I am just saying that it was not without reason. She didn’t know.”

“That’s not my point,” he practically snapped, “I don’t have a problem with her, but none of you seem to find it the least bit concerning that Hydra gave all that power to an unstable little kid. Aren’t you afraid that she’s going to snap one day?”

“I have no interest on dwelling on the idea, that much is certain. All too often, we become what we are expected to be, especially if we are expected to be monsters. Just look at Loki.”

Bruce sighed, “I’m not trying to be mean, I only that I don’t know how to handle her.”

“I know you would never actively try to hurt someone,” Thor said gently, “You just have to give her a chance, Banner. If you let yourself love her, I can guarantee that she will love you back.”

“But-”

“I am sure that Pietro and Natasha have had your concerns cross their own minds. I am going to assume they are handling it in the best way they know possible. All _we_ can do is offer our support. Do you understand what I mean?”

Bruce eyed Wanda looking peaceful and loved in Thor’s arms and felt a jolt go through his heart. 

“Yeah. I get it.”

 

 

 

A few days after Wanda recovered from her small bout of sickness, she reverted back to her older self, which meant two things: first, she could better communicate with Anna-Marie from therapy, and second, she could actually be a girlfriend to Pietro, who had spent more time as her babysitter than anything else.

“I feel so damn useless,” she sighed to Anna on the phone, “I’m glad that he has Clint, I really am, it’s just that I wish I could be his girlfriend more often.”

Anna popped some bubblegum on the other end of the line, “I’m really sorry, Wanda. That majorly sucks.”

Wanda laughed humorlessly, “It does. It _fucking_ sucks.”

“Total suckage. I get it, sweetie, I really do. I mean, obviously I don’t totally get it, but I’m on your side, okay?”

“Thanks, Anna,” she flopped back against the pillows on her bed, “I wish I could be a better friend to you too.”

Anna snorted, “You’re a great friend, even when you’re five. Nobody else is gonna watch all those Disney movies with me. Remy just ruins it by pointing out spots where they forgot to use logic. Anyways, I had a hard time making friends after we moved. Remember my neighbor I told you about that I tried to visit with and didn’t last five minutes?”

“Oh, yeah. Emma, right?”

“Uh-huh. Emma Frost, which is so fitting, because she is one icy bitch. Point is, I’m glad I get to hang out with you, no matter what age you are. And you shouldn’t be so hard on yourself.”

Wanda glanced up as the door to her room opened and Pietro walked in, “Hey, I’ve gotta go. Can I text you later?”

“You bet. See ya.”

“Bye,” Wanda hung up and set her phone on the bedside table, “Pietro, is everything okay?”

“Can’t I just want to be with my wonderful sister?” he sat next to her and kissed her cheek, “I’m glad you’re feeling better, darling.”

Wanda cringed. She knew he didn’t mean to, but there were times when he “talked down” to her even as an adult. All the Avengers did it, like they had a hard time remembering that there were times when she actually acted her age. Granted, she was little most of the time, but when she was twenty one, she wanted to be treated like it.

“Want to go get a drink later?” she suggested, “Just you and me.”

“I don’t know if that’s a good idea.”

 _“Pietro,”_ she grabbed his hand and pressed it over her heart, “It’s me. Your sister. Your sister who is the same age as you.”

He took his hand away and put it on her face instead, “Baby-”

“I’m not a baby.”

“I know that,” he sighed, “I’m sorry, love. I don’t want you to feel like I don’t want to be with you.”

“Then show me,” she begged, “For God’s sake, Pietro, kiss me for real.”

He looked at her hesitantly, “It can’t go beyond that.”

“Don’t remind me. Please,” she leaned forward and wrapped her arms around him, “I am asking you to kiss me.”

Pietro still looked nervous, but he finally touched his lips to hers, and didn’t fight it when she leaned into his embrace, deepening the kiss. She could feel his heart racing as fast as hers, and it was all she could do not to cry of happiness, because it felt right, _so right-_

“Wanda!”

The twins jumped apart in surprise, and Pietro almost fell off the bed. Natasha stood in the doorway yelling, _“What the fuck are you doing?”_

“Mom,” Wanda groaned, “Please, calm down.”

“Oh, God,” the assassin buried her face in her hands, “Jesus Christ. I wish I had never seen that.”

Pietro had never looked so uncomfortable, “I’m really sorry, Natasha.”

“No, no!” she waved her hand in an almost hysterical fashion, “You guys do whatever you want. You’re….old enough to make those decisions. But holy shit, I wish I hadn’t seen that.”

Wanda blushed, “It’s not like he was fucking me!”

“ _Please_ do not give me that mental picture. I am literally begging you.”

Pietro stood up, “Let’s just pretend this never happened.”

“Easy for you to say,” Natasha snapped, “I’m the one who just walked in to find my daughter about to get to get to third base. Please tell me you guys were not going to have sex.”

“Yes, Natasha. I am that fucking stupid,” Pietro said sarcastically, “Of course we weren’t going to have sex!”

Wanda slipped out of the room while they shouted at each other, and bumped into Clint in the hall, who asked her what all the commotion was about.

“Pietro and I kissed and Mom lost it,” she sighed.

“Ouch,” he winced, “I’m sorry, kid. They’ll work it out.”

“I know. I just hate it when they fight.”

Clint put an arm around her, “What do you say we go hang out with the others until things cool down? I’m pretty sure Tony rented some mindless action flick that we can watch.”

She smiled just a little bit as they walked over, “That doesn’t sound too bad.”

“Not too bad? It sounds awesome! And I bet that Nat and Pietro can bond over it too. Nothing brings people together quite like making fun of a terrible movie.”

Wanda’s laughter was cut short when they reached the main room of the tower. Before rounding the corner of the wall that would make them visible to the others, she heard Tony saying, “Okay, I’ll admit, _that_ was funny.”

“I don’t mean to laugh,” Steve said, “But she just does some really funny stuff sometimes.”

Wanda felt her heart sink to the floor. 

“Like, the other day she asked me if she could be a butterfly,” Steve continued, “And I don’t know, it was just sweet because she _really_ believed she could be. I wanted to actually take her outside to play, but I just worry about other people noticing. I mean, if anyone saw her most of the time, they’d think there was something wrong.”

“You mean they’d _know_ there was something wrong. I like the kid too, Cap. I like her a lot, but you can’t pretend that this is entirely normal.”

“I don’t pretend it is, Tony, but we can’t just all withdraw affection and make her deal with it on her own, it would break her heart. And can you imagine what would have happened if she had been alone when she got sick?” he sighed, “I mean, she needs someone to take care of her constantly.”

Wanda became aware that there were now tears on her face and that she was gripping Clint’s wrist very tightly. Thor’s voiced joined the conversation, “Don’t speak of the child as if she is a burden.”

“You know that’s not what I meant.”

Tony cut in again, “Doesn’t it get hard, though? I mean, I have never seen someone who needs to be hugged and kissed so much. Wanda has got to be the clingiest kid I’ve ever met.”

Wanda tore her hand from its grasp and bolted for the door, not caring if they saw her. Clint followed, yelling her name, and didn’t catch her until she was all the way outside.

“Hey, hey,” he pulled her close ignoring the stares of passerby, “It’s okay.”

“No, it’s not!” she sobbed, “I’m a freak!”

“Shhh. Wanda, you know that’s not true. They love you, that’s all. And to be fair…” he chuckled, “You _are_ adorable when you’re little.”

“Is that supposed to make me feel better?”

“It’s supposed to help you understand that they don’t mean to embarrass you. What you have to remember is that you’re helping them, probably more than they’re helping you.”

She looked up, confused, “What do you mean?”

Clint took her hand walked with her until they reached a bench nearby where they could sit down, “I mean that Nat always wanted kids, and now she has a daughter. Same goes for Steve-always scared of having a family, thinking that it just wasn’t possible for him, and now he has you. Helen never gets to see her son, and Thor had a little sister who he barely got to make any memories with, but he got another chance. You have made them all so incredibly happy, Wanda. You gave them something that they never thought they’d have, and all you had to do was be yourself.”

“You heard my dad. They think I’m stupid.”

“No, they don’t. But have you ever heard that stuff people say about how parents have a hard time letting go?”

“Yeah.”

“Well, I think it’s kind of the same thing for them. That’s why Natasha freaked out about the kiss, and Steve likes to talk about all the stuff you guys do together. They’re attached to you, Wanda.”

She wiped the few remaining tears from her eyes, “I didn’t think of it like that.”

“I didn’t expect you to,” Clint said gently, “But I think it’s important that you understand. Not so you feel pressured, but so you know that you bring nothing but joy to those people. And to me.”

“Even when I make you read me Cinderella a million times in a row?”

“Even then. Don’t you ever hate any part of yourself, princess.”

“I’m not a prin-”

“Shush,” he put an arm around her and let her lay her head on his shoulder, “You know something? No matter how old you are, you’re _always_ gonna be my princess.” 

 

 

As expected, Wanda’s older state didn’t last for long. She reverted back by the next evening, by which Natasha and Pietro had finally made up, and there was no more tension between her and Steve. Thor was happy to swing her around again and tell more stories of Asgard (Clint was almost positive he made more than half of them up, but then again, Thor had probably seen some really weird shit in all his thousand years of living). 

“…And that’s how I slayed the great beast of Niphelheim with just a tree branch and my wits!” he finished proudly, “They still sing songs chronicling that great day.”

Wanda looked at him with round, shining eyes, “Did you _really_ do that?”

“Yes, my little star. I really did,” he picked her up, “Now, don’t you think it is about time you get to bed?”

She shook her head emphatically, “One more story?”

“You said one more three stories ago,” he joked.

“I mean it this time. Please?”

“What about the one about the little girl who refused to go to sleep? I think that one is your favorite.”

“Is not.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes!” she giggled, “Okay, but can we do the star song?”

“Now _that,_ we can do. Say goodnight to your brother.”

Wanda blew a kiss the Pietro and Clint, who were sitting on the couch together, “I love you!”

“We love you too, kid. See you tomorrow.”

“I’ll be there in a few minutes, Wanda,” Pietro added.

Thor positioned her so her legs were wrapped around his middle and she could rest her head on his shoulder, “I’m afraid I’ve forgotten how it starts. You’re going to have to remind me.”

Wanda smiled, “Do you know how many stars there are in the blue sky of the night?”

“Ah, yes. Do you know how many clouds fly so fair fly over Midgard’s height?”

“Our gods do know their number, none is missing, we may slumber.”

“Do you know how many stars are there in the blue sky of the night?”

“Don’t forget the birds and fishes part.”

“Oh, my little star," he kissed her hair, "I could never forget.” 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeahh....I'm pretty sure my mom told me the story about the kid who didn't want to go to sleep about a million times. :p   
> Also, the star song is a real old Norse lullaby. I didn't find it until after I had Thor give Wanda that nickname, and I just thought it was beyond perfect and I had to use it. Anywho, your comments make me happy!   
> Unless they're telling me I'm a really bad person. That would make me the opposite of happy.   
> I'm just going to clarify that that was a joke, because I don't know how well my sense of humor and sarcasm goes over in real life, let alone the internet.


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Because Wanda has tried to communicate with her baby, maximoffs_against_the_world prompted that she open up to Pietro or Natasha about it, so I put that in here. Other stuff happens too, a lot of which involves more explicit talk about the assault, as well as a flashback scene at the end that actually depicts an instance of it-so be warned.

The flower was green and the grass was pink. The sky was yellow and the sun was blue. 

Wanda wasn’t sure why she had made it that way, but it looked right to her, even if it was most certainly not how it was supposed to be. Misty seemed to find it very interesting, and scribbled something down on her clipboard while asking, “How are things at home?”

“Good,” Wanda said distractedly, “Yesterday, my fairy godmother-”

“Clint.”

“Yes. He put a spider on Daddy’s shoulder and made him scream. Mommy laughed a lot.”

Misty smiled, “It seems like your family has a lot of fun, huh? You’re all close?”

“I love them,” she responded simply, “They’re my favorite people.”

“That’s good,” Misty always responded with that right before she was about to ask a difficult question, so Wanda braced herself and gripped the crayon tighter in her hand as she heard, “Does your family do anything you _don’t_ like?”

“Mommy and Pietro disagree sometimes, but they always make up.”

“Is that it?”

“Yes. I mean, everyone’s always _arguing,_ but they don’t really mean it. Daddy says it’s called happy chaos.”

“I see,” Misty wrote something else down, “Wanda, we’ve been meeting for almost two months now. I want to start asking you some more direct questions about what happened to you. Is that okay?”

She shrugged, “I guess.”

“If there is anything that really makes you uncomfortable, you don’t have to answer, but I want you to try your hardest, alright?”

Wanda nodded slowly, and grabbed Lorna, who had been sitting on the table, and clutched her to her chest like a shield. Misty looked sympathetic, “If I go get your mom, will that make it less scary?”

This time, she nodded emphatically, so Misty stood up to go and get her. Less than a minute later, Natasha entered, her face creased in worry, “Come here, baby.”

Wanda climbed into her arms and let her encircle them around her. She wanted nothing more than to suck her thumb, lay on his shoulder and just let Natasha cuddle her, but Misty’s voice pulled her back to reality, “The first thing I want to do is to make absolutely sure you know what that man did to you was wrong, and that it was not your fault.”

Wanda was still not sure that it wasn’t her fault, but she said that she knew anyways. Misty talked slower than usual, like she wanted every single word to make a big impact, “Can you tell me about what happened?”

She kicked her feet a little bit, “I was alone first, and then he came in and locked the door,” she remembered the click sealing her away from the rest of the world very vividly.

“And what happened after that?”

“He grabbed me and kinda kissed me. I yelled at him to stop and he hit me really hard.”

Natasha was holding her tighter now, and Wanda could feel her breath on her cheek. It was a little bit comforting, knowing that she was there. But she still didn’t feel very safe. 

“You’re doing great, Wanda,” Misty continued, “If you can, I would like you to tell me what happened after he hit you.”

“I…” she clung to Natasha’s hand, “He took my dress off.”

“You are being very brave right now. Remember, if it really is too hard, we don’t have to talk about it anymore. Right now, I just want you to tell me what you remember happening as best you can.”

“He said that he’d wanted to touch me for a really long time, and then he started to.”

“He started to touch you? Where?”

“I-I don’t know. Everywhere,” Wanda’s voice was starting to crack, “He said that he could tell I liked it, but I didn’t. And then he said for me to just go on my knees, and I did. I don’t know why I did.”

“It was not your fault, remember? Is it okay if you tell me what happened next?”

There was a dead silence for a few moments before Wanda finally broke it. 

“He put his penis in my mouth. I _can’t_ talk about it anymore!”

Natasha let out a choked kind of sob, “Alright, she’s done for today. She’s absolutely done,” she stood up, still holding Wanda’s hand firmly, “Thank you for your time, Misty.”

Misty nodded, and reached over to grab a few pamphlets on her desk, “No thanks needed, but I would like for you to take these home and read them. They will help, I promise.’

Natasha tucked them in her bag, but didn’t bother to read what they said as she turned towards the doorway and started walking outside.

 Wanda didn’t say anything. She felt like crying, but all her sobs seemed stuck deep down inside her heart, so all she could do was feel miserable. Natasha strapped her into the car as quickly as possible and started driving, hands gripping the steering wheel so tightly that her knuckles turned white. Wanda looked at her nervously, “Are you okay, Mama?”

Natasha closed her eyes for just a second, “I’m fine. I just…it was hearing about what he did to you. That sick bastard. That son of a bitch, and how much of a fucking pervert he was-” she slammed on the breaks and the car lurched forward, “ _Jesus fucking Christ!”_

Wanda burst into tears-Mommy never yelled at her. Immediately, Natasha’s anger subsided and she turned to look at her daughter, “Honey…”

“Don’t yell,” she sobbed, “Please don’t yell at me.”

Natasha didn’t say anything, just bit down hard on her lip and continued to drive until they reached the tower. After parking, she tilted her head back and closed her eyes, breathing heavily, “I am so sorry, sweetheart. I’m not mad at you, I promise. I was-I _am_ sad and angry because of how you were hurt. But I never should have yelled.”

Wanda still looked shaken, “I’m sorry.”

“No, don’t say that. It’s not your fault,” she reached over to squeeze her hand, “I know you’re dealing with so much. You should be able to count on me not to make you feel scared.”

“I’m not scared of you, Mama. I think you should be scared of me, though, because I’m a witch and I might go crazy one day.”

Natasha’s mouth dropped open, “Where did you hear that?”

“Bruce said it. He thought I was asleep.”

She cursed, internally this time, “That’s not true. You aren’t dangerous, and you _aren’t_ crazy.”

Wanda looked down guiltily, “Don’t be upset with him, Mama. He wasn’t trying to be mean.”

“Well, I still don’t want you to think about it, okay? You’re fine, Wanda. You’re fine just the way you are.”

 

 

 

After telling Helen about the outburst, the doctor had forced Natasha, Clint, Steve and Pietro to all sit down and read the pamphlets that Misty had sent home. Pietro thought they all looked far too cheery for the subject matter that they contained, covered in photographs of parents holding hands with their children in places like meadows. They all had spindly writing at the top saying things like, “Helping Your Family Cope With Sexual Assault”, “Healing With Your Loved Ones”, or “Dealing With PTSD in Children.” They kind of reminded him of a human being, the sort of person who constantly gives out unwanted advice with the best of intentions, but just ends up giving you a headache. 

“It says that angry outbursts are normal for parents to have when dealing with these types of situations,” Helen mused as she flipped through the pages, “But that doesn’t mean you should freak out again, Nat.”

“I’m well aware,” she grumbled, “But if you had been there, you would have freaked out too.”

“I know it’s hard,” Helen admitted, “Pietro, did you find anything helpful?”

“No.”

“You’re barely even looking at them.”

“Well, I know they aren’t going to be helpful. I can take care of her just fine without the help of…” he checked the name on the front, “Doctor Richard Fisk.”

“These are meant to help you too,” Steve reminded him, “Misty knows that she needs to help families of the the victim.”

Pietro hated to think of Wanda as a victim, but he had heard the word spat out at him so many times within the past two months that he had finally grown used to it. He sighed, and started reading, “Okay, now I know this is bullshit. The very first step is to remain calm. That’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard. I don’t have to be fucking calm.”

Clint snorted, “Stupider than whatever it was you criticized me for saying yesterday?”

“Yes, worse than that, although I’m sure you made a close second. Did _you_ find anything helpful, Steve?”

“Kinda,” he squinted, “There are some good resources here, and some tips for talking to her about it. I mean, we really need to work on that.”

Natasha nodded, “I know. And I don’t know if it’s helping her to be living in the tower either. It’s stressful. Today she told me that she heard Bruce say he thinks she’s going to lose her mind.”

“What?” Helen looked up in shock, “Are you kidding?”

“No. She said he didn’t mean it in any kind of malicious way, and I’m sure he didn’t, but I don’t want that in her head. She already thinks there’s enough wrong with her.”

“Do you want me to talk to him about it?” Steve asked.

“I think it would make it worse. I mean, I don’t think he likes her that much. Or maybe he just sees himself in her…I don’t know. Point is, living here is stressing her out, and it kinda stresses me out too. It’s like you never go home from work.”

Nobody could really argue with that, so Clint asked, “Are you saying you want to quit?”

“No, of course not. I was just thinking that maybe it wouldn’t be a half bad idea if we moved.”

They all stared at her in shock until Pietro found his voice, “Wait, who would move? And where would you go?”

Natasha shrugged, “You and Wanda, me, Helen, Steve, and Clint. If you guys want to. And we wouldn’t have to go far, just maybe find a nice place where we’re not constantly feeling like we’re going to have to jump up and go on a mission at any given minute.”

Steve looked at her seriously, “That’s a big decision, Nat.”

“I know,” she said nonchalantly, “I just thought I’d suggest it.”

“I’m actually not opposed to the idea,” Pietro admitted, “But we would definitely need to give it some thought. And what about the others?”

“Well, Thor can come with if he wants,” Natasha shrugged, “So can Stark and Banner, I just feel like they probably wouldn’t take us up on the offer. But really, just think about it for now. And if you’re not gonna read these, go check on her. Therapy days are hard.”

Pietro got to Wanda’s room within seconds, but paused long enough before opening the door to hear her talking. 

But she was definitely alone. Tony and Bruce were in the lab, and Thor was out for the day. Still, it sounded like she was having a conversation with someone, pausing at moments, as if she was waiting for someone to answer her. Pietro listened closely, being careful not to startle her.

“I know you’re there,” she was saying softly, “I wish you’d come back. I barely got to know you.”

Another moment of silence and then begging, “Please talk to me! I’ll do anything, I promise. And if you come back, you can meet my family. They’re your family too, really. I have a brother and a mama and a dad, and a fairy godmother. And you’re my baby, so I’m _your_ mama. I’ll be a really good one, okay? Just come back. I keep wishing for you, Eva.”

Pietro felt like he was going to be sick. The entire world was spinning around him, a blur of every single regret he’d ever had, every mistake he’d ever made. Without meaning to, he pushed the door open a bit too hard and slammed it against the wall, causing Wanda to jump in surprise. 

“Who,” he said, breathing heavily, “Were you talking to?”

She looked up at him nervously, “Nobody.”

“Wanda,” he said, gently this time, “Tell me what’s going on.”

She just stood up and ran over to the bed, pulling her knees up to her chest, “You can’t get mad.”

“When do I ever get mad you, sweetheart?” he sat next to her and cupped her face in his hand, “Just tell me. It’s okay.”

She turned away so quickly that one of her pigtails almost hit him in the face, “I just wanted to talk to her.”

“To Eva?”

“Yeah,” she sighed, “My baby. I try to talk to her sometimes. But it’s supposed to be my secret.”

He pulled her closer to him again so she could rest her chin on his shoulder, “I’m so sorry.”

“Why?”

“Because,” Pietro sighed, “She can’t come back, sweetheart. You know that, right? I’m so sorry, but she’s gone.”

Wanda tensed up in his arms, “But if I keep dreaming and wishing really hard, maybe-”

“No, honey. You deserve to have her back, but it can’t happen. And you know that if there was any way to do it, I would.”

“That’s not fair,” her voice was starting to shake, “Why did I get a mommy and she doesn’t?”

“Oh, honey,” he positioned her on his lap so he could wipe the tears from her face, “She did have a mom. She had you, and I know you were wonderful.”

“But they took her from me. I never got to take care of her.”

“You can remember her,” he murmured, “Even if she’s not with you right now, you can still love her as much as you want. And if you need to talk about her, you can do that too.”

They were comforting words, but that didn’t stop her from burying her face in her hands and crying. Pietro lay her down and let her hold onto him until he was sure she had probably just cried her heart out and fell asleep. He pressed a kiss to her hair and held her close, wishing that if he just said “I love you” enough, if he just gave her enough hugs and kisses, that her pain would go away. 

Von Strucker should be glad he was already dead. 

 

 

 

_“You’re kicking me, Eva!” Wanda giggled, placing a hand on her stomach, “I’m so excited to really meet you. Abra said that there’s only four more months until you’re here!”_

_It was hard to get comfortable and sleep, but Wanda didn’t particularly mind. She missed Pietro dearly, but just reminded herself how happy he would be when he met Eva and realized that they had a new addition to their little family. She couldn’t help but feel like another part of herself was terrified of telling him, but that wouldn’t make much sense. She put the thoughts out of her mind and went back to talking._

_“You’re not tired, I guess,” she said, “I can sing to you. My brother does that when I can’t sleep.”_

_The sound of cold metal scraping against stone came from behind. Wanda froze and quieted down immediately-it must have been one of the guards, just checking on her. It would be better if she just pretended to be asleep._

_After the sound of the door closing shut came however, Wanda heard someone walking towards her, boot heels clicking against the floor. An icy hand touched upon her shoulder, “My dear, look at me.”_

_She clenched her eyes shut tight and yanked her shoulder so Von Strucker was no longer touching her. He grabbed her again, harder this time, forcing her onto her back and holding her there._

_“There you are,” he smiled, “I thought you were avoiding me.”_

_Wanda wanted to say something, but the words were caught in her throat, and she just shook her head. Von Strucker started stroking her face with one finger before letting his hand travel down to grope at her chest, “See? You like this, I know you do.”_

_She tried to jerk away again, and cried out in pain when he grabbed her hair roughly, forcing her to meet his eyes, “Don’t do that. Nobody will love you if you act like that. You want people to love you, don’t you?”_

_Wanda mouthed “yes”, because of course she did, she just hated this more than anything. Von Strucker kept touching her, letting his hands avoid her stomach. He smiled again._

_“Now, your brother won’t love you either if you tell him. I know how important it is that he loves you, so he must never know. And then he will love you forever,” he pulled on her hair again, “Listen, girl. It is not that hard. Even someone as simple minded as you can give me what I want.”_

_Wanda tried to keep the tears from coming, knowing that the whole thing would be a thousand times worse if she cried._

_She could sing to Eva another time._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apparently, I'm Kyle's Mom.


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony and Bruce babysit. That's all you need to know.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I literally stayed up all night writing this, so forgive me for any bad moments, I was supposed to be sleeping. :p

_“Where are we going?”_

_Abra didn’t answer. She didn’t even meet Wanda’s eyes._

_Wanda wasn’t quite sure where they were walking, but she didn’t like it that much. The castle was drafty and scary at night, and right now their only source of light was two flashlights carried by the guards. They didn’t say anything either, even when Wanda tugged on the coat of one and asked, “Are we going to see my brother? I miss him so much and he hasn’t met Eva yet.”_

_Abra moaned, “If you care for my sanity at all, do not say anything like that again.”_

_“What can I say?”_

_“Nothing. Be silent, Wanda.”_

_Abra had never called her by her first name before. It had always been “child” or “girl”. Wanda reminded her of this._

_“Well, I am calling you that now. Keep walking. And when you get there, say nothing, do you understand? It may hurt a little bit.”_

_“What will?”_

_Abra wrung her hands together, “They are going to perform a procedure on you. It is necessary if the experiments are to take place. They would have done it sooner, but they thought that observation for a little while would serve them better. Only now have they realized that what they were looking for will likely have no benefit.”_

_“I don’t understand. Is Pietro going to be there?”_

_“No. Do not ask for him.”_

_“I want him,” her voice was starting to crack, “Please, I miss my brother!”_

_“For the love of God, shut up!” Abra hissed, “Stop crying. You want to cause me any more pain tonight? I’ll burn in hell for what I’m about to watch happen. And you…” she looked away again, “You are already there.”_

 

Wanda blinked awake, and momentarily panicked when she didn’t feel Pietro’s arms around her. She was lying on the floor and her shoulder was hurting. She had probably fallen off the bed. That had happened before when she had nightmares. 

She didn’t want to move. That dream had cut off, but she knew how it was going to end.

“Eva?” she whispered, probably too quiet for anyone to actually hear her. She curled up and tried not to cry, feeling the carpet scratch against her face, hands grabbing at the floor as her breathing became more and more erratic. Wanda could see her world start to become slightly tinged in red as her mind started to play back the dream, every step she had taken across the cold stone halls. 

She didn’t want to wake up Pietro. She had already been up crying last night, and she couldn’t do that to him again. He hardly ever got to sleep the whole night because of her. Instead, she forced herself to crawl to the doorway, legs still too shaky to stand.

Natasha’s room was only a few doors away, and she wasn’t a heavy sleeper-in fact, she usually stayed up quite late, so even though Wanda only knocked lightly twice, she opened the door almost immediately, almost missing her until she glanced down.

“Wanda?” she knelt so they were at eye level, “What’s wrong?”

Wanda threw her arms around Natasha’s neck and hid her face in her shoulder, “Don’t leave.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Just don’t,” her voice cracked, “Please don’t leave me, Mommy.”

Natasha helped her to her feet, “Lie down, honey. Mommy isn’t going anywhere.”

“Promise?”

“Promise,” she smiled gently as she pulled a blanket up to her daughter’s shoulders and lay down next to her, “Did you have a bad dream again?”

She nodded.

“Do you want to talk about it?”

“No,” she snuggled closer, “But Mama, you can’t leave.”

“Shhh. You don’t ever have to worry about that happening, baby. I swear, I will never leave you.”

Wanda clutched at the fabric of Natasha’s shirt, “If you weren’t here I’d be so sad.”

“Well, I can’t imagine ever being without you. So Mommy’s going to stay right here, okay?” she stroked her hair, “I have to stay with my little girl. It’s the number one rule of being a mom.”

She looked at her dubiously, “There are rules?”

“Oh, totally.”

“Are there daughter rules?”

“Just two. Let your mom look after you and give lots of hugs.”

Wanda smiled just a little bit, “I can do that.”

 

 

 

“I told you that I don’t mind you waking me up,” Pietro said exasperatedly the next morning as he tied one of Wanda’s pigtails with a green bow, “Haven’t I said a million times that I won’t get mad at you?”

Wanda took her thumb out of her mouth, “I wanted you to sleep. But I was really okay. Mama told me a story.”

“Well, I’m glad you weren’t alone,” he sighed, finishing with her hair, “There, you’re done.”

“Do I look pretty?”

“You always look so beautiful,” Pietro kissed her cheek, “I love you.”

“I love you most,” she leaned back into his arms, “Will you love me forever?”

He frowned, “Of course I will. Why wouldn’t I?”

“I just wanted to make sure. Because I’ll love you forever, I promise. And Mama, and Helen, and Clint, and Daddy and Thor-”

“That’s a lot of love,” Steve said, setting down his book, “You sure you have enough room for all of it?”

“Of course I do. Everyone has enough room, they just don’t always use it,” Wanda jumped up and ran over to hug him, “And you’re my daddy, so I have to love you a lot.”

“Is that so? Is that in the rules of being a princess?” 

She laughed, “It’s in the daughter rules. I mean, I kinda made it up, but I bet it’s in there. There’s even mommy rules too. Hey, are there daddy rules? Do you have to-”

Steve put a hand up, “Slow down, honey. Daddy’s going to go see a friend, but I’ll answer all your questions later. Be good for your brother today.”

Pietro glanced up, “Clint and I are going out today. I thought you were babysitting.”

“Why can’t Natasha or Helen?”

“They’re…coming with us. It’s a double date thing, and it was _not_ my idea.”

Wanda’s face lit up, “You’re going on a date with Clint? Are you guys gonna get married?”

Pietro almost broke his “no cursing in front of your baby sister rule”, “No! I mean, look, we’re just hanging out. It’s not a big deal.”

“Oh,” she looked disappointed, “But you like each other.”

“I do not-I mean…never mind. Don’t think about it. And anyways, I’ll have to cancel if there’s nobody to watch you. Go play in your room.”

“What about Thor?” Steve suggested as she ran off.

“He went to see his girlfriend put on some sort of big lecture and then they’re going to spend the day together. You know who that leaves.”

“Yeah,” he sighed, “Tony and Bruce. Maybe I can bring her with me over to Sam’s.”

“You don’t want to have to keep an eye on her while you’re looking for a missing person. By the end of the day, you’ll have two. I’ll just tell Helen that I can’t make it.”

“No, you need a break and she’s been planning this-”

“Who’s been planning what?” Tony asked, causing them all to turn in surprise, “If you’re planning a party, I’d prefer you all tell me about it before you trash my house.”

Steve rolled his eyes, “We just realized that we forget to get a babysitter.”

“For-oh,” Tony realized. Even though she was a kid most of the time, it seemed like he always had a hard time remembering it, “Well…look. If you really need someone to watch her, I’ve got nothing going on today. I mean, Pepper might be coming home so I’ll have to go pick her up if she does, but it’s not a huge deal. And y’know, Bruce is here.”

Pietro cringed, “I don’t think that’s such a good idea.”

“Look kid, I get that maybe we got off on the wrong foot, but trust me, I am great with kids. They love me.”

Steve snorted, “Since when?”

“Since forever,” he shot back, “You want to go out today or not? She can’t be that hard to take care of. I’ll just give her a beer and lock her in her room for a few hours. That always relaxes me.”

“No!” they both shouted at the same time.

“Jesus, I’m kidding,” Tony sighed, “I’m trying to get used to the situation, okay? Give a guy a chance.”

Pietro still looked unsure, “I really think it would be better if I just stayed with her.”

He threw his hands up, “Go out with your boyfriend! I swear, everything will be totally fine. Bruce is probably great with kids too.”

Pietro racked his brain, remembering every time Bruce had cringed whenever he saw Wanda playing with one of the Avengers, left a room as soon as she ran in to give someone a hug, just walked away whenever she tried to say hello to him. Pietro had absolutely no reason to believe that Bruce was good with kids, much less with Wanda, who was convinced that he hated her. 

“Bruce doesn’t like Wanda,” Steve voiced his thoughts for him flatly.

“What are you talking about? He has nothing against her.”

“I vaguely remember him saying that he would like to choke the life out of her, then grabbing her by the neck and daring her to piss him off. That’s enough for me, I don’t want him alone with my kid.”

“We were all under stress!” Tony protested, “And that was like, five months ago! Haven’t we moved past that?”

“I just don’t know,” Pietro bit his lip, “She’s scared of him.”

“She won’t be once she finds out that he’s actually a nice guy.”

Steve rolled his eyes again.

 

 

 

After an amount of convincing, some of which was on Helen’s part, Tony and Bruce finally ended up looking after Wanda for the day. Only two of the people involved were happy about it, and Bruce wasn’t one of them.

“Didn’t you tell Thor that you were going to make an effort to be nice to her?” Tony hissed, “I’m trying, so you try!”

“I’m not trying to be mean!” he shot back, “But Jesus, Tony, is this even safe?”

“Of course it’s safe. Why…wait,” his mouth dropped open, “Are you afraid of her?”

Bruce crossed his arms, “Can you blame me?”

“Oh, come on! She wears her hair in pigtails, watches My Little Pony, and cuddles a stuffed cat. That girl is probably the least intimidating person in this fucking tower.”

“Since when do you like her so much?”

“I’m trying to be a better person,” Tony shrugged, “Now let’s go out there and prove that if anyone is awesome at babysitting, it’s us.”

Wanda was sitting at the kitchen counter, drawing a picture of what Tony could only assume were flamingos, or very ugly pink birds. He patted her shoulder, “Hey, kiddo. Ready to have some fun?”

“I guess,” she said, looking very apprehensive about the whole situation. 

“Great! That’s awesome. Okay, what kind of stuff do you like to do with your brother and your-uh, parents?”

“We draw, or play imaginations. And sometimes they read stories, or we watch a movie.”

“Movies are fun. You up for that?”

“Alright,” she slid off the char, “You can pick if you want.”

“That’s cool. You ever seen Scream?”

“Tony!” Bruce snapped, “I thought you were trying to be a _good_ babysitter!”

He looked offended, “What’s not to love about Scream? It’s a horror classic.”

“She’s like, five! Twenty one. She’s really twenty one, but you know what I mean. You can’t show her that movie.”

“Okay, okay. Chill. You know what, kid? You can pick. What’s your favorite movie?”

“Cinderella,” Wanda said, “She’s my favorite princess.”

Tony let her grab his hand and drag him towards the TV as he threw a thumbs up at Bruce, “Come on, Banner. Everyone likes Cinderella.”

“Uh-huh. Awesome.”

“Well, you can at least make popcorn if you’re gonna be such a downer about it.”

Bruce groaned and went back into the kitchen while Tony sat on the couch next to Wanda. She smiled at him brightly, “Who’s your favorite princess?”

“The one who slept through her own movie. Ariel, I think.”

“Aurora,” she laughed, “Ariel is the mermaid.”

“You seem very well versed in your knowledge of these women. I feel like I’m in the presence of a princess genius, if that’s a thing. I guess you’ve educated the others too, huh?”

“My says he doesn’t really like any of them, but he sings Let it Go.”

Tony grinned, “You have no idea how much I appreciate you telling me that. You’re not so bad, kid.”

The cheerful look in her eyes was suddenly replaced with fear, “I was bad? I’m sorry.”

“No! It’s like an expression. Never mind. You’re probably the most well behaved kid I’ve ever met, actually. Now me, I was a bad kid.”

“No you weren’t,” she giggled, “You just needed a hug. I can hug you if you want.”

“That’s okay,” he said hurriedly, patting her head, “Thanks for the offer, though.”

“You’re welcome,” Wanda said before putting her thumb in her mouth. 

Okay, no matter how many times he saw her do that, Tony felt like that would always take him aback for a second, like his mouth would always be seconds away from making some kind of joke until his brain caught up with him and reminded him that she was actually a little kid.

Bruce finally sat next to him, “This was a good time killer,” he muttered, “But what are you going to do with her when the movie’s done?”

“Relax. Her brother said she has to take a nap at one, so all you have to do is wait until then,” Tony shrugged, “I told you that babysitting was a breeze.”

 

 

As soon as the movie was finished, Wanda leaned over to hug Tony, “Thanks for watching with me!”

“Oh,” he said in surprise, “You’re welcome. It was fun.”

“You’re a really nice friend.”

Tony pulled away, “Thanks. Hey, don’t you have to go lie down now?”

She groaned, “Do I have to?”

“Sorry, kid. I don’t want to be on the receiving end of your brother’s lectures on how I’m not responsible enough to take care of you. And lectures about being responsible are _rich_ coming from him,” he helped her up, “Bruce can read you a story if you want.”

Bruce choked on his water, “What?”

“Sure. He’s a great storyteller. Go get in bed, okay?”

As soon as she was gone, Bruce glared at Tony, “What the hell? You tell her a story!”

“I can’t,” for the first time that day, Tony looked visibly upset, “I can’t be around her right now.”

“Why not? Babysitting her was your idea!”  
  
“I know, it’s just…” he glanced over his shoulder, “I just realized right now that she was sitting there all happy and relaxed because I was watching a movie with her. She gave me a fucking hug and said that I was a really nice friend.”

Bruce looked at him strangely, “So, what’s the issue?”

“I killed her parents! That’s the issue!” Tony snapped, “Look, I changed a long time ago, but until I met them, I guess I just never thought much about all the damage that was already done. Can you imagine how hard it must have been for Pietro? When he was ten he had to take care of her like this all the fucking time. When he was _ten._ She wakes up crying with nightmares all the time, but none of it would have happened if it weren’t for me. And her brain isn’t even processing it right now.”

“Tony,” Bruce said, “That wasn’t you. I mean, you didn’t know what you were doing. Things changed. You changed. And you’re a better person now, making things right. Isn’t that enough? It’s not like they never did anything wrong.”

“They had better reasons for it,” he said sullenly, “Look, can you just go read to her?”

“It’s hard for me to be around her too, Tony!” Bruce said, a little louder than he intended, “It’s like looking in a damn mirror!”

He looked at him, stunned, “What do you mean?”

“I mean that we know she’s full of power. Lots of it. And we know that she can’t always control it, and that people can get hurt when she doesn’t know what she’s doing, even though most of the time, she would never want to hurt people. Any of this sounding familiar?”

There was nothing but silence for a good minute before Tony said, “I didn’t think of it like that.”

“No, of course you didn’t. I didn’t expect any of you to think of it like that. But it is seriously painful to look at her and know that she’s going to have to deal with the fact that people will call her a monster and a freak. And she’s a kid. That’s why I didn’t want to do this, Tony. She’s too much like myself.”

“God,” he laughed humorlessly, “Who knew one person could give two people so many issues?” 

“In my experience, it’s not that hard. Trust me.” 

“I’ll read to her,” Tony said decidedly, standing up right as Steve stepped through the doorway and greeted them, “Hey, guys.”

“Hey,” Bruce said, “How’d it go?”

“Nothing again,” he sighed, “But we’ll keep looking. Where’s Wanda?”

Before Tony could say “in bed” the girl in question came running at Steve and threw her arms around his middle, “Hi, Daddy!”

“There’s my princess,” he lifted her up, “Aren’t you supposed to be taking a nap?”

“I was going to. Bruce is going to read me a story.”

Steve looked at Bruce in surprise, but glanced away quickly when he was met with the other man mouthing, _you do it._

“I’ll read you a story today, baby,” Steve said, “And you can tell me about what you did.”

“We watched a movie,” she said, her voice just a little bit muffled against his neck.

“Oh really? Which one?”

“Tony wanted to watch Scream.”

Steve did a three sixty and gave Tony a death glare, “ _What?”_

“But we watched Cinderella instead.”

“Oh,” he relaxed, “Okay. That’s fine. And I’d just like to take this moment to remind Tony that the cut off rating is PG.”

“Hey,” Tony put his hands up, “I thought she would like it.”

“Pietro would have killed you,” Steve said, “So just stick to the princess movies, okay? Come on honey, let’s get you in bed.”

“Wait!” Wanda dropped out of his arms and ran over to engulf Bruce and Tony in a group hug, “Thank you for being my friends today.”

Tony felt a lump in his throat, “Yeah. You’re welcome, kid. You’re a good friend too.”

Bruce waited until he and Tony were alone again before saying, “I have to admit, she is pretty fun.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, I wanted to delve deeper into why Bruce didn't seem to like Wanda very much, and now ya know why. So, anyways, I hope you enjoyed!


	15. Chapter 15

Pietro had to admit, having Bruce in on the whole thing made it _way_ easier. He absolutely loved Wanda, but he also had a hard time dealing with her on a daily basis, and that was with five other people helping. One kid was a lot of work. One magical, super powered, emotionally unstable kid who talked to hyper-realistic imaginary friends and woke up screaming every other night? It was about a million miles away from being a walk in the park-especially on days when she either did her “drop to the floor and freak out” routine, refused to speak to anyone, or a combination of both. 

Bruce had also been the one who started suggesting that Pietro talk to Misty, which was how he had ended up in her office with Wanda the next time she had an appointment. 

“So, she’s always been a little bit like this?” Misty asked, as soon as Wanda had gone back into the waiting room with Thor, “Can you pinpoint any direct memories for me?”

Pietro shrugged, “She’s always been really emotional, if that’s what you mean. After our parents died, it got a lot worse. She just started switching headspaces, I guess. One minute she’d be as normal as she could be, and then she’d just start screaming and crying and acting like a little kid.”

“So, this was going on when you were ten,” Misty said as she scribbled away on her clipboard, “Did she ever express a want for a mother or a father again?” 

“When we were about fifteen, she used to ask me if we could go find our parents. I never knew how to explain it to her because every time I answered she just asked, _why?_ ”

“And what did you say to that?”

“Eventually I just started telling her it was because I said so, but she wasn’t really satisfied.”

“I’ve heard that a million times before,” she said knowingly, “Now, did you notice any changes in her behavior after the rape and abortion took place?”

Pietro thought back, “I guess she kind of developed this obsession with whether people like her or not. She gets really upset if she thinks she’s offended anyone.”

“Hmm,” Misty tapped her pen against he clipboard, “I think this Von Strucker was very smart in the way he worked with people.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Pietro didn’t really want to think there was anything positive about Von Strucker. 

“I just mean that like many physical and sexual abusers, he was a talented manipulator psychologically. He got her to believe that you would somehow find her disgusting for what happened and no longer love her. So then her mind jumped to fear of abandonment, because you were and are her primary caretaker, and she obviously adores you. That fear just got bigger and bigger as the situation got worse, so it became an obsession with whether people will like her or not.”

“Is that why she’s so afraid of being alone?”

“That could have something to do with it, yes, although I believe there are likely to be other contributing factors as well. Have you tried talking to her about it at home?”

He laughed mirthlessly, “Sure, we’ve tried. She won’t talk about it at all. The furthest we’ve gotten is when she was here.”

“You know,” Misty said gently, “While we generally encourage letting children talk about these things at their own pace, there comes a certain point where they may need a little push. If she refuses to talk about it, you may have to be firmer with her.”

“But-”

“Pietro, I am not saying that you need to take away anything. You need to keep showing her love, care, and affection. The fact of the matter is, you also need to explain to her that she is going to have to deal with what has happened to her and make sure that she understands it was wrong and not her fault.”

Pietro groaned, “Look, everyone is always telling me that I try to shield her from too much, and maybe that’s true, but she always seems like…like-I don’t know. She’s my baby sister, you know? I have to protect her.”

“I get that. But if you really do want what’s best for her, you may need to be put into situations where neither of you are super comfortable. That’s just a part of healing and growing. Now, I have to ask before I let you go, did she ever get violent before the experiments?”

“Not with other people. But she’d pull her hair and scratch at her face,” he cringed at some of the memories they’d created back in Sokovia, “If I had a dollar for every time someone asked me what was wrong with my sister, we wouldn’t have been starving on the streets.”

Misty looked at him sympathetically for a fleeting moment, then resumed her businesslike expression, “You need to get firmer when she starts trying to hurt herself too. There’s nothing wrong with just cuddling her if she’s only crying, but it’s important to deter self destructive behavior. From what I understand so far, it seems like she doesn’t realize she’s doing it.”

“No, I don’t think she does.”

“Then you need to get her to understand what she’s doing. Every time it happens hold on to her hands, tell her “no” very firmly, and explain what will happen if she keeps trying to hurt herself. Eventually, she may get the message. Other than that, keep doing what you’re doing, read the pamphlets I gave you, and for now you should be okay.”

Pietro sighed and glanced down at his hands while Misty made some final notes. Talking to her had been overwhelming, and a lot of it honestly felt like reality had slapped him in the face.

He could help Wanda. She could heal from a lot of things. 

But she was never going to get better, not really. And they both knew that.

“Misty,” he said in a choked voice, causing her to look up urgently, “I just…God. I _tried._ And I don’t want to say it in front of her, but it’s hard.”

“I’m sure it is. Pietro, you were ten years old. I can’t imagine how hard you both struggled.”

“It’s little things, you know?” he mumbled, “She can’t sleep alone, one of us has always got to be there, because if we aren’t she’ll wake up crying and hardly ever goes to anyone on her own because she’s afraid of bothering people. There have been times when I had to feed her because she wouldn’t eat. Yesterday she fought me on getting dressed for at least an hour. It was nine in the morning and I was already exhausted. But I swear to God, I love her so fucking much and I promise that I’m _trying-_ ” his voice broke.

“Of course you are.”

“I did the best I could, okay? I did the best I could.”

 

 

After managing to calm down with the help of Misty, Pietro met Thor and Wanda in the waiting and started back home. Thor’s choice in car music was questionable, but at least it wasn’t NPR, which Steve always turned up to the highest level, although Pietro knew for a fact that the man just did it to mess with everyone and annoy them, and really listened to the Top 40 when he was alone.

“How was it, my little star?” Thor asked Wanda, “What did you talk about?”

“Stuff,” she kicked her legs.

“What kind of stuff?”

“I don’t know. Yesterday, Lorna and me made a magic world with a castle. It’s called the House of M. She’s a person there though, not a cat. And we’re both princesses.”

“Oh, really? Who else lives there?” 

“All of you. And all my moms and dads, too,” she drew her knees up to her chest, “When we get home, I’m gonna go back. I like it there. There’s nothing scary.”

Thor smiled, “You have quite an imagination.”

Wanda looked almost offended, “It’s real. I made it.”

“Alright,” he humored her, “How did you make this House of M?”

“It took a long time, but I kept thinking about it a lot, and now it’s finally here. I can go there whenever I want. And guess what? Eva’s there too!”

Pietro felt a jolt go through his heart, “I don’t know if I want you playing with that, Wanda.”

“It’s okay. I told you, everything’s good there. I made extra sure you were really happy.”

“Well, that’s nice. But you know it’s just pretend, right?”

Wanda opened her mouth as it to argue, then shut it and looked out the window instead. She seemed disappointed in him, but Pietro soon forgot about it as soon as Thor took a quick phone call.

“Today?” he said nervously, “Why? That’s not a good idea-no, we’re coming back. Does he know? We can keep her out for now…alright. Well, I suppose we’ll just have to hope for the best. Yes, that’s fine. See you soon.”

“What was that about?” Pietro asked as soon as the god had hung up.

“Fury’s making a surprise visit,” he responded dryly, “I would say it was welcome, but I am not sure that it is.”

“What-shit!” Pietro’s mouth dropped open, “First of all, he doesn’t know about you know who, does he? Second of all, don’t repeat that, Wanda.”

“The you know who thing?”

“No, the thing before that.”

“He knows,” Thor cut in, “Or, he knows in the same way that Pepper does-there’s something different, and she’s not around enough to know the full extent. But apparently, Natasha and Bruce did tell him.”

“Why?”

“Why do you think? So it wouldn’t come as a massive shock when he meets her. He wants to see everyone, and get to know the two of you a little better since Shield is starting to really take off again, I suppose.”

“She doesn’t always like meeting new people.”

“I know,” Thor gave Wanda a worried glance, “Elskling, are you alright with meeting somebody new? He’s sent you on missions before.”

“Oh,” her words were just a little muffled because she was sucking her thumb again, “I guess. But if he’s scary, I’m gonna have to hide.”

“He is not scary,” Thor reassured her, “He only pretends to be.”

“Like you?”

“Child,” he shook his head, “You are doing wonders for the lowering of my self esteem.”

 

Fury was already there by the time they arrived. Wanda immediately tried to run away. 

“Don’t,” Pietro said, grabbing her by the arms, “Come on, Wanda. Can you say hi?”

She gave Fury a very mistrustful look, and while she stopped struggling, she still went and hid behind her brother.

“I’ve had much worse reactions to me during first encounters,” Fury said, “I’m sure I’ll survive a kid trying to hide.”

“Sorry. She’s-”

“Shy, I know. Romanov told me.”

Pietro looked at Natasha, “What else did she tell you?”

“That your sister doesn’t usually act her age. That’s about it,” he looked bored, “I didn’t come here to tell you that I don’t want her here, Maximoff. None of you work for me anymore, you can do what you want. I just thought I’d try to do a little catching up, it has been a while.”

Everyone in the room looked confused except for Natasha, who had a slightly worried look on her face. Pietro threw her a questioning look, and she mouthed that she would explain later. 

“Are you here because Cap decided to turn Without a Trace into a real life thing?” Tony was asking, “Because if you really want to know how I feel about that-”

“We don’t,” Natasha said hurriedly, “And we don’t need to talk about it now.”

“Okay,” Tony shrugged, “I know it’s only noon, but I guess it would be rude not to offer you a drink.”

“I’ll accept,” Fury said dryly, “And I’d like to talk to Rogers in private.”

As soon as everyone else was preoccupied, Pietro grabbed both Clint and Natasha’s arms and pulled them into the other room, “What the hell is going on?”

“It’s nothing really,” Natasha said, although her forehead was creased in worry, “At least, I hope it’s not. Fury’s worried about Steve and Tony.”

“Why?”

“Because of the whole thing about Steve looking for his ex-soviet spy boyfriend. Apparently, Tony thinks he should be _apprehended_ rather than just brought home, so there’s tension there, and it’s been brewing for a while.”

“I didn’t notice,” Clint admitted.

“Of course you didn’t. I don’t think either one of them have noticed that it’s getting serious. Look, hopefully it blows over, but I really think that Fury just came to make sure that Captain America and Iron Man aren’t about to duke it out in the center of Manhattan. To be honest, it has got me thinking about moving again.”

"I've been thinking about that too," Pietro admitted, "I'm more than open to it. And Fury visiting makes a lot more sense now."

"I knew he wasn’t the type to just drop by for a drink and a friendly chat,” Clint muttered, “I really hope it doesn’t turn into anything more, that’s the last thing we need,” his face brightened, “Hey, Pietro. How did therapy go today? Is she doing well?”

“She still won’t talk about it, and Misty told me I need to be stricter with her,” he bit his lip, “I feel like I’m doing a shitty job of dealing with everything. Maybe I’ve always been awful at taking care of her and now I’m just realizing it.”

“What? Are you kidding me?” Clint met his eyes in disbelief, “Look, let this sink in because I’m probably not going to repeat it anytime soon. I am in awe of you.”

Pietro rolled his eyes, “I buy that.”

“No, really. I don’t think you realize this, but you are so, so good with her. She loves you more than anything in the world, and it’s because you would give everything to make her smile. I get that things have sucked lately, but you have done an amazing job. So yeah, I’m in awe of you because I know people who would have just given up and left her. You stuck it out through everything. Right, Nat? Nat?”

They both turned to find that they were suddenly alone. Pietro felt a new feeling fill his body, and it definitely wasn’t regret or sadness.

Little bit of nervous mixed in there, though. Definitely nervous.

“Um,” his throat suddenly felt very dry, “We should get back out there.”

“Wait,” Clint grabbed his hand, “I just want you to know that you’re doing great, okay? And whether I like it or not, you guys have become one of the most important parts of my life, so I also want you to know that I’ll always be there to back you up when you need it.”

“Always?” he arched an eyebrow, “That’s a big promise, old man.”

“It’s one I’m willing to keep.”

“I appreciate that,” Pietro realized that they were standing very close, “Because whether I like it or not, you’ve become a pretty important part of my life too. God, I can’t believe I just fucking said that. I feel like this is some terrible romantic movie.”

“There’s not much romantic about it.”

Unable to hold himself back any longer, Pietro grabbed Clint by the shoulders and kissed him, long, hard, and fast. Clint didn’t miss a beat, and returned the favor with a hell of a lot of enthusiasm until they both broke apart, breathing heavily.

“There,” Pietro slightly gasped, “That was romantic.”

“I was afraid that you were going to ask me if I saw that coming.”

“I did!” Natasha yelled, causing them both to jump.

Apparently, she’d been outside the door the whole damn time. 

 

 

As soon as Fury left, Tony called his friend Rhodey and went out to meet him. Steve looked colossally stressed out, and left too, presumably because he wanted to be alone. Helen came over and tried to lighten the mood by putting on some cheerful music and bringing lunch, but the atmosphere of the tower was still a bit tense.

“Where’s Daddy?” Wanda asked. She was sitting on the couch, eyes glued to one spot on the wall across from her while she fidgeted with her hands. Helen reached over to still them, “I don't know, baby. He should be back soon.”

“What if he doesn’t?”

“He will,” she brushed some loose strands of hair out of the girl’s face and straightened the purple ribbons in in her hair, “Daddy’s not going to leave you remember?”

“He can’t,” Wanda bit her lip, “He has to stay.”

“He _will_ ,” Helen sighed, “Come here, honey. I’ll give you a hug.”

Bruce had been observing the scene quietly thus far, “Didn’t Misty say that you need to talk to her about-”

Pietro cut him off, “Don’t say it in front of her! And I don’t think that now is a good time.”

He threw his hands up, “That’s the issue. All of you are going to keep finding reasons why it’s not a good time, and that’s not healthy for anyone, least of all her. How do you expect her to heal if you just keep sweeping it under the rug?”

“Nobody is sweeping anything under the rug,” Pietro responded flatly, “I know what’s best for her.”

“No. You give her whatever she wants. There’s a difference,” he glanced at Thor and Natasha, “Am I wrong here?”

“You’re not,” she admitted, “But I don’t want to push her. You haven’t seen what she’s like during her freak out moments, have you?”

“Not really. How bad can they be?”

“Bad,” Thor snapped, “And she needs comfort, not discipline.”

“She’s never going to be helped if you can’t accept the fact that she can’t be happy all the time.”

There was a very uncomfortable silence. Pietro was glaring at Bruce, but there was really not a whole lot of animosity behind it-maybe because he knew that to an extent, the man was right. Helen held Wanda a little closer and stroked her hair, “She’s just a little girl, Bruce.”

“I know,” he said gently, “But give it a thought. Maybe, just maybe, I can help her, if you give it a chance. You can even be here, but let me talk to her-because somebody’s gotta be the one who doesn’t just stop when she starts crying, and it’s sure as hell not going to be any of you.”

Pietro still looked hesitant, but turned to Wanda and asked, “Can you maybe talk to Bruce right now?”

She blinked, “About what?”

“About what happened to you at Hydra.”

A dark look crossed Wanda’s face, “No.”

Bruce spoke clearly, “It isn’t healthy for you not to talk about it. What happened to you was extremely serious.”

“No,” she said again, louder this time. Pietro could feel the meltdown coming on and braced himself as Natasha hedged, “Honey, we’re just trying to help you.”

“No!” she yelled, wrenching herself out of Helen’s grasp. Pietro grabbed her before she could run far and wrapped her in his arms, “Calm down, honey. It’s okay.”

“I can’t talk about it!” she yelled, “I can’t!”

Pietro opened his mouth to tell her that she didn’t have to, but caught Bruce’s eye before he could say it. Instead, he spoke in a firmer voice, “You can’t run away. It’s not a good way of dealing with this.”

Wanda started screaming bloody murder and her body jerked violently, attempting to contort into positions that looked painful at the very least. Pietro closed his eyes and wished he could just block it out, prayed that this time the breakdown would pass quickly. Wanda yanked on her hair so hard that she pulled a few strands out, and before Pietro could react, she started scratching at her arms enough to draw blood.

“Oh, God!” he grabbed both of her wrists in his own hands, “Wanda, you’re fine. I promise, it’s going to be okay, just _please_ calm down!”

He wasn’t even sure she could hear him, and if she could, she apparently didn’t care because the screams and sobs just got louder. He vaguely heard Helen asking if she should call 911, and Clint shouting for her not to right as two bright red blasts of energy narrowly missed his head.

“I want to go home!” Wanda yelled.

Natasha was now kneeling in front of her, “Wanda, do you know where you are? Can you tell me where you are?”

“I don’t know!” she grabbed Natasha’s hand, “Take me away from here, Mommy!”

If looks could kill, Bruce would be dead right now, since almost everyone in the room was glaring at him. Pietro snapped, “Now do you see why we shouldn’t push her?”

“No,” he looked thoughtful, “I’ve seen how she reacts. You just need to learn how to help her deal with it in healthier ways. You’re doing pretty well right now, to be honest.”

“Good to know,” he hissed as Wanda broke her hands free from his and drew another red scratch down her arm. Pietro tried to remember what Misty had told him to do if this happened. Just as she started scratching at her face, he grabbed both her wrists and crossed his arms so he could hold her to his chest, “No. Wanda, you can’t do that.”

Her body lurched forward again, and Pietro was suddenly very thankful that she was smaller than him, because this would be a lot harder if she was physically stronger, “Stop. You’re going to hurt yourself, and I can’t let that happen.”

“I can’t!” she sobbed again, “I have to, and I just can’t!”

“Be kind, but be stern with her,” Bruce murmured, “Get her back to you.”

Pietro took a deep breath, “Wanda, what did I just say to you?”

“You said no!” she sobbed, hands still reaching.

“I said no because what you’re trying to do right now is dangerous. You’re going to hurt yourself, and you need to stop. Is that clear?”

Wanda’s body was still shaking, but the high of the breakdown seemed to be over, and she was calming down, “I didn’t meant to.”

“I know. But you’re here, you’re with me, and you’re safe. Would I ever let anything hurt you?”

“N-no.”

“Then you don’t have to worry about anything. I’ll let go of your hands if you promise that you’re not going to hurt yourself anymore, okay?”

“Okay,” she said softly, and let them fall into her lap before turning and burying her face in Pietro’s shoulder and sobbing again.

“She needs some time to unwind,” Natasha said firmly, “Give her to me, you seriously need to step away.”

Pietro shook his head, “I’m fine.”

“No, you-”

“I’m fine, Natasha!” he raised his voice slightly, regretting it immediately afterwards. He stroked Wanda’s hair, and spoke quietly this time, “I just…I need to be with her.”

His sister leaned back into his embrace and closed her eyes. Pietro knew that she finally felt safe, so he did too. After a moment, he felt Clint’s arms around his own shoulders, and he closed his eyes, letting the man wrap them both up in a hug. 

He could have stayed like that forever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HAWKSILVER (Silverhawk? Whatever ya want to call it).  
> Little Civil War reference in there. While I probably won't do much with that storyline in this fic, I thought I could allude to it. Also, I love Nick Fury so much, you have no idea. He can be a jerk, but lets face it, he rocks.  
> House of M reference too. Although that's not as much of a reference as it is a future plot point. Good lord, I can't believe this fic turned into what it has. I did not see it coming. 
> 
> Also, if it wasn't obvious already, Wanda has Separation Anxiety Disorder.


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SCARLET WITCH IS GETTING A SOLO SERIES IN OCTOBER, Y'ALL. I'M FREAKING OUUUUTTTTTT. 
> 
>  
> 
> Also, just to clarify, in the comics Helen has a son named Amadeus. He does exist in this universe, but like his 616 counterpart, he's incredibly smart, so I imagine that he's at a boarding school for very gifted students and sees his mom on breaks.

It was a nice looking afternoon, and even if Wanda was having a day where she hardly talked, if she did at all, she seemed calm enough so Thor could take her outside. Tony and Helen tagged along, as Natasha had taken Pietro and Clint out house hunting, and Steve was going to meet them after he met up with Sam. 

Slowly but surely, the Avengers had started to let Wanda be herself in the outside world, mostly because both Misty and Bruce had ended up insisting that it was far from healthy to keep her inside all the time. She did seem happier, and smiled up at Thor as they walked. He put an arm around her, “I heard that you did very well with Misty yesterday.”

As expected, she didn’t respond, and just tugged on her hair again-not hard enough to make it painful, but it did force her head to tilt to the side a little bit. Thor took her hand in his own and shook his head, “I don’t know why you insist on doing that. Come on, my little star. Do you want to see the flowers?”

There was a garden in the park the for some reason, fascinated Wanda. On the rare occasion thus far that they had taken her outside, she could just sit there and look at them for a really long time. It always made her happy, and if she was having a “no talking” day, it would sometimes prompt her to speak. Right now, she pointed at a lily and glanced up at Thor, “She’s saying hi.”

“Oh, the flowers can talk now?”

“This one does,” she said softly, touching the petals with her fingertips, “Her name is Laurie.”

“Hmm,” he held onto her firmly, “Well, tell Laurie that I am saying hello back.”

Helen and Tony watched the scene on a nearby bench. Tony raised his hand to his forehead in order to shield his eyes from the sun, “She’s a weird kid. I like her, but there’s something…off.”

“What do you mean?”

“I have never in my life seen a child talk to a flower and insist that it has a name.”

“Kids are funny that way,” Helen shrugged, “And she has a big imagination, you know that. Maybe it has something to do with the trauma from Hydra or something, or she could just be playing.”

A guilty look came over Tony’s face and he glanced away, “Yeah. Right. About the whole thing with Hydra. There’s….something I have to tell you.”

Helen looked at him with nervous curiosity, “What?”

“You can’t freak out. I’m not even sure, it’s really just speculation because I don’t think Von Strucker fully understood what was going on so he can’t have-never mind. Look, the guys didn’t see all the files. I did.”

“And?”

He took a shaky breath, “You know how I told you that she was in her normal state of mind when the actual-you know,” he cringed, “Rape happened?”

Helen stared at him blankly for a minute and then her eyes grew wide, _“No.”_

He looked away, “In the files it said she was actually in a more childlike state or something.”

“Oh my God. Oh no,” she could feel her heart banging out of her chest, “Tony, why didn’t you tell the truth? Her doctor should have known that she was a kid when it happened! We thought her memory of it was at least a little blurry because she was in her adult state-oh, _God,”_ Helen buried her face in her hands, “Why, Tony? Why?”

“Because did you see how Natasha and Pietro reacted when they found out that it happened at all?” he snapped, “If they knew everything that was in that file, they’d go insane. Not only would they go insane, but now so would Steve and Thor and Clint.”

“It doesn’t matter! They have to know!”

“You can’t tell them, Helen. You really want to be the one responsible for breaking their hearts?”

“I will be the one responsible for telling them the goddamn truth,” she said through gritted teeth, “And why are you telling me now?”

“I don’t know. With everything that’s been going on lately, I just felt like I needed to tell someone, and I thought that maybe you’d get it. Be able to help her without letting them know.”

“That is so fucking stupid, Tony! And do you realize the position you’ve put me in by telling me and then saying that I need to keep my mouth shut about it? I am dating her mother!”

He groaned, “I shouldn’t have told you.”

“You’re damn right you shouldn’t have told me! You know who you _should_ have told? Pietro and Natasha. Christ.”

Helen rarely cursed-she wasn’t opposed to it, she just hardly got riled up enough to get to that point. So whenever she did, Tony knew that something had gone wrong. She glared at him, “You’re going to tell them.”

“Why me?”

“Because you’re the one who knew and kept it to yourself for the last two and a half months!”

“Does it really make that much of a difference how old she was?”

“I don’t know,” she crossed her arms, “The point is, you lied, and now you’re asking me to lie, and that’s not okay. So you’re going to man up and tell Natasha and Pietro, or I swear to God, Stark-”

Tony put his hands up, “I’ll tell them. Happy?”

“No, not really. If this was Amadeus, I’d be furious if I found out that someone was keeping stuff about it from me. How do you think they’re gonna feel? It’s not like her brother is your biggest fan in the first place.”

“I didn’t do this to piss him off!”

Helen sighed, “I know your intentions weren’t bad, but you should have told them.”

“I know,” he muttered, “I guess I just thought it would be kinder for them to be in the dark about some of it. I mean, I read the whole file, Helen, and it’s gross. Like the stuff he made her do was really disgusting.”

Helen couldn’t help but let a little part of herself agree with the fact that withholding some of the information was kinder. Pietro was under way too much stress lately-maybe the pressure of having to take care of Wanda for so long was finally getting him to crack. At least he had Clint now, but still. 

“I’ll tell them later,” Tony said, “When she’s not around. They’re probably both going to start yelling.”

Helen felt a pang in her chest, “You really do care about her, don’t you? It’s hard to tell sometimes, but you do.”

“I dunno,” he leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees and clasping his hands together, “I feel bad for her. Do you ever, like want to know what’s going on inside her head? Like really, if you looked in her mind, what would you see?”

“I’m not sure if I actually want to know.”

Tony glanced up. Wanda was actually smiling as she talked to Thor about the flowers-what their names were, their ages-like they were people. And even though he was holding her hand gently and smiling back, the nervousness in his eyes was unmissable. 

Helen was vaguely reminded of Pietro telling her about the time that he had waited three days looking at a bomb, and waiting for it to go off.

 

 

“Fucking _shit!”_ Natasha yelled, her voice echoing throughout the tower.

Thor cringed. Not five minutes after Clint, Natasha and Pietro had gotten home had Tony told them there was something that they needed to know. Helen had already filled him in on what it was, and while Thor was none to happy about the fact that Tony had kept it to himself, he managed to control his temper towards the man. It didn’t sound like anyone in the other room was extending the same courtesy. 

“Don’t listen to that, Wanda,” he told her, noticing her glancing towards the door worriedly.

“Angry,” she mumbled.

“She’s not angry,” he lied, “Well, not at you.” At least that was true.

“I want my brother.”

“He’s talking to Stark right now. Wait a little longer.”

“But-”

“Wanda,” he smiled at her gently, “He’ll give you hugs when he’s finished, alright?”

“I miss him.”

“He’s just in the other room.”

“I still miss him. I _hate_ it when he’s gone.”

Thor put an arm around her, “Why is that?”

“He might stop loving me. And then he’ll never come back, ever.”

“My little star, that won’t happen. Your brother loves you very much and he always will. Don’t cry, alright?”

Wanda’s lip trembled, “I need him now.”

Thor ran his hand soothingly up and down her arm, “You have done very well so far today, and he’s going to be so proud of you when I tell him. Just be patient, he will see you soon. Tell me about something fun you have done lately.”

“I went to the House of M yesterday. It was fun, and I saw both of my mamas. I love them so much.”

He spoke carefully, “Well, your mother loves you too.”

“I made the sky yellow, and the sun was blue,” she frowned, “I don’t know if that was a good thing or not.”

“Well, it’s all in your imagination, so it’s okay, isn’t it?”

She sighed, “I guess.”

Outside, Thor could hear Steve’s voice joining in on the conversation. He didn’t shout, but it seemed like his words were sharp and biting, almost as if he was challenging Tony. Wanda looked even more nervous now, and Thor could understand why. Natasha and Pietro had naturally more explosive personalities, but Steve seemed to handle almost every situation calmly. 

“I _really_ need my brother,” Wanda tugged on his arm, “Please?”

Before Thor had to think of another idea to keep her occupied, Pietro zoomed through the door and skidded to a halt in front of his sister, who practically threw herself into his arms, “Don’t leave! Never ever.”

On most days, Pietro most likely would have laughed, kissed her cheek and said he wasn’t going anywhere. Today, he didn’t respond right away, just held her tight, and whispered, “Baby. My sweet sister, I’m so sorry.”

“Why?”

He closed his eyes, “For everything.”

“I would never be mad at you,” she said, “I tried to be good today. I really did.”

“I know you did.”

“And I missed you.”

“I missed you too.”

“Did you find a new home?”

“We found a few places,” he said distractedly, “It’s not important right now. You need to talk to Bruce.”

Her face fell, “Why?”

“Remember, you promised that you were going to try and talk about…it,” he cleared his throat, “And this will help, I promise. Can you please try?”

“Will you be there?”

“I’ll be in the same room. And so will Clint and Thor,” he glanced at the god, “Right?”

“Of course. I promise, you will not be alone.”

 

As expected, Wanda’s immediate reaction to Bruce’s “session” was to scream and cry until Thor ended up having to restrain her again. 

“Don’t talk to her,” Bruce said, “Just make sure she can’t hurt herself.”

“She just tried to claw her eyes out!”

“That’s what I’m trying to deal with,” he replied calmly, “Wanda, I want you to try and calm down, okay?”

“No!”

“Why not?”

“I can’t!” she yanked herself forward and threw her head back, thankfully being stopped from causing herself any further damage by Thor. In the corner of the room, Pietro had his face in his hands, and Thor noticed that he was shaking. Clint put a comforting arm around him and whispered something in his ear.

“I can’t!” Wanda yelled again, before starting off into a repetitive chant of the words. 

“Yes, you can,” Bruce said firmly, “I know you can. I want you to tell me right now what it is you’re afraid of.”

Those words made her struggle a little less, “Alone.”

“You don’t want to be alone. I get that it’s scary. But your brother is in the room with you. I need you to breath for me. You are not alone.”

“I want him to be _here!”_

“Well, he can’t be right now. Instead of thinking about that, I want you to talk to me about what happened to you. And before you start screaming no, I also want you to remember that you are safe here. That man is gone, and nothing is going to hurt you. You are in a safe space, and it’s okay to talk about what happened. I know you already told your doctor about some of it. Can you tell me what happened after that?”

Wanda’s body was still quaking, and she was still crying when she choked out, “I don’t know.”

“Try to remember,” he said, accentuating each word clearly, “And remember, you are safe here.”

“He said for me to move my tongue around, and I tried, but I just kind of choked. And he grabbed my hair really hard.”

“Did he say anything to you?”

“He said, that if I told anyone, he’d kill me and my brother. I don’t want to talk about it anymore.”

“Wanda-”

_“No!”_

“Can you tell me how you feel about what happened?”

She bit her lip, “Gross. Disgusting. About me, I mean.”

He raised an eyebrow, “Really? You feel like you’re gross and disgusting?”

“I know I am.”

Even Bruce looked a little unsure as to how to respond to that, so he just said, “What about when it was actually happening? How did you feel then?”

Wanda looked like she was about to freak out again, “Cold. I was really cold. Can we _please_ stop now?”

“Yes,” he said, his voice still calm, “You did a good job today.”

Thor unwrapped his arms from around Wanda so she could go to Pietro. Instead of running like she usually did however, this time she walked on shaky legs, with her arms slightly outstretched, almost as if she was about to fall. Pietro seemed to have calmed down, although if anyone looked directly into his eyes, they would probably be able to tell that he was beyond furious. He didn’t wait for her to come to him, and instead walked forward and scooped her up into his arms.

“Can you be here the rest of the whole entire day?” she asked, leaning her head on his shoulder.

“I promise. I’m not going anywhere.”

“Never ever?”

He knew he should be honest with her, because what if there was a day when he wasn’t there to take care of her?

It didn’t matter. She didn’t need to worry about that. So he held her close and whispered, “Never. I’m always going to be here.”

 

_Wanda was definitely very cold. And she wanted him to leave her alone. To leave her and Eva alone. It had been two months since they told her she was going to have a baby, and Von Strucker kept coming to see her._

_“You’re very pretty,” Von Strucker purred, “Does your brother tell you that? Does he ever do this to you?”_

_She didn’t respond, just because she didn’t want to. But when she fetl a heavy slap on her face and Von Strucker harshly demanding that she answer him, she said, “He doesn’t touch me.”_

_“I don’t know how he resists. I just can’t help it, you’re too inviting. If you weren’t such a pretty thing….” he trailed off before biting down harshly on her shoulder, causing her to yell out in pain. He squeezed arms harshly, “Haven’t I told you to be quiet?”_

_“I-I don’t know,” Wanda turned her head to the side so she didn’t have to look at him, “Can I see my-”_

_“If you ask for your brother one more time, I will personally guarantee that you never see him again,” he said smoothly, “And anyways, he won’t love you if you tell him our secret. You want him to love you, don’t you?  Now look at me. I want to see your face when I fuck you.”_

_Wanda had learned a long time ago that closing her eyes wouldn’t make scary things go away._

_But right now, she was willing to try._

 

 

 Not cold anymore. Not really. Her face was pressed against a pillow, that was wet with tears that wouldn’t stop coming. She didn’t care if anyone got mad at her, she wanted her brother, or mom or dad, or _someone._ Wanda couldn’t be alone. She knew she was crying, but she couldn’t really hear herself. But her heart never hurt so bad when she didn’t need to cry. She couldn't tell if it was late at night or very early morning either-she just remembered going to bed with Pietro and Clint next to her.

Someone was touching her again-not like Von Strucker. Just someone gently putting a hand to her face.

“Shhh, Wanda. Look at me, baby, let me see if you’re okay. I just want to make sure you’re alright.” 

She knew she had hurt herself in her sleep before, and that was why he needed to look at her. She needed to look at him too, so she turned to meet his eyes, which were full of love, and surprisingly, a little bit of fear, just like her.

“Brother…” she choked out.

“Come here, sweetheart. I’ve got you, you’re okay. Shhh,” he let her curl up on his lap while held her close, “I’ve got you. You’re safe now. Everything’s fine, I promise.”

Wanda wanted to talk to him, but all she could manage to get out was “I’m sorry” and even that was hard to understand. She sobbed into his shoulder, not feeling better, but at least she felt safe. He kissed the top of her head and rocked her back and forth slowly, “It was just a dream. It wasn’t real.”

But it had been real. She knew it had been real. Between sobs, she found the strength to speak again, “Do you love me?”

“What?”

“Do you love me?”

“Oh, honey,” he lay down and let her snuggle into his arms with her head on his chest, “I love you so much. You’re my brave, beautiful sister, and I will always love you.”

Next to them, Clint was stirring, “What’s going on?”

“She had another nightmare.”

He looked fully awake now, “Poor kid. You okay, honey?”

She wished she could nod yes, but she shook her head no instead, because she really wasn’t okay. Clint reached out to stroke her hair, “That’s fine, babygirl. You don’t have to be okay. Whatever you’re feeling is just fine.”

“Do _you_ love me?”

“Of course I love you. I even love your crazy brother here, if you can believe it.”

Pietro rolled his eyes, “Just because this is an “I love you” fest, doesn’t mean I’m saying it to you.”

“Damn, kid, you’re wounding me.”

“Language,” he said in a poor imitation of Steve’s voice. That made Wanda smile a little bit, even if the hurting was still there. She reached over so she could hold onto Clint’s arm, who now had his own slung over her back. 

“You two are heavy,” Pietro said with mock annoyance, “Why do _I_ have to be the center of the group hug?”

“Because,” Wanda tilted her head up so she could kiss his face, “I love you and Clint loves you too. So we have to give you hugs.”

“Oh, really?”

“Giving lots of hugs the number one rule of love.”

“If I recall correctly, yesterday you told me that letting you eat ice cream at midnight was the number one rule of love, so I guess this is good to know,” he ruffled her hair, “I get to be smothered with affection by my baby sister and an annoying archer.”

“You’re not such a treat yourself, kid,” Clint mumbled, his face buried in Pietro’s shoulder, “Wanda, you know we both love you, right?”

“Yeah.”

Pietro smiled down at her, “Always.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just really like the idea of Clint and the twins all snuggling together (or, as Wanda would call it, "giving hugs") 
> 
> Also, if she told Tony that the number one rule of love was to let her have ice cream at midnight, he'd probably believe her and just let her have it. Really, Tony should not be allowed to babysit on his own. It would start with something like, "Hey, kid, I got some Red Bull and candy. Let's eat it and watch some rated R action flicks together," and end with a really hyperactive Wanda and Pietro just glaring at Tony and saying, "...She's your problem right now."


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First of all, I would like to give a HUGE shoutout and thank you to SoupShue who has helped me write these past few chapters more than I can say. You rock, and ALL your advice is greatly appreciated.  
> Another thank you to scifiunicorn, who prompted that I do something with Pietro helping Wanda bathe-it's in here, and I thank you for the prompt! :)

Wanda didn’t even want to blink, for fear that she would miss just a second of what she had. Lorna-not as a cat, but as a girl just like her held fast to her hand, green hair sprawling about and blending in on the grass. Wanda couldn’t help but imagine flowers sprouting up between the strands of of emerald.

And so, they did.

“You look so nice,” Lorna said, lazily playing with the hem of her dress, “You look like your mama.”

“Which one?”

“The first one. Where is she anyway?”

“With my other mom.”

Lorna grinned, “You’re lucky to have such a big family.”

“I know. And I have to protect all of them, but it’s okay. I love my family. In the other world, my daddy’s gone right now, though. I miss him a lot.”

“Where’d he go?”

She shrugged, “No one will tell me. Thor said, _it’s not for you to worry about._ But I do worry. What if he’s hurt?”

“You’d know if he was,” Lorna reminded her.

“I can’t always tell. It’s just sometimes.”

“Still, I bet if he really was, you would know.”

“I guess,” she agreed, fidgeting slightly. After a minute, she turned to her side, where Eva was sleeping. Wanda smiled and picked her up, “I’m so glad you’re here. I love you so much.”

Eva was asleep, and she looked so happy and peaceful that Wanda just couldn’t bring herself to wake her up so they could go play. She said to Lorna, “I think I should let her rest. We can play later.”

“You’re a good mommy, you know.”

“Really?” she stroked Eva’s face gently with a finger, “I’m glad you think so. I was afraid I wouldn’t be a good one, but I’m trying really hard-”

Wanda suddenly found herself back in her home before she could finish her sentence. The flowers were gone, Eva was gone, Lorna was a cat, and someone was calling her name. She blinked as she felt light start to wash over her again and she heard Pietro say, “What are you doing in the closet?”

She looked up at him, “I was at my other house. It was here a minute ago, really.”

“I’m sure it was,” he picked her up, “You can play later. You have to go see Bruce now, remember?”

“Are you gonna be there?”

He spoke carefully, “No. But you’ll be fine, baby. It’s just for an hour.”

“No, I won’t. I want to stay with you.”

“I know, but this is important. We talked about it, remember?”

Wanda clung to him tighter, “I don’t _care._ I want to stay with you forever.” 

Pietro smiled weakly, “I’m sorry, but you can’t right now.”

“I’ll miss you,” her voice starting to take on the same qualities it usually did before she started crying, so Pietro held her a little tighter himself. If he was being honest, _he_ wished he could just cuddle with her forever.

“Sweetheart, I promise that it won’t be scary. Bruce is going to help you.”

“But I want you to be there,” she sniffed, “And I wish Mama could be there too, and I wish Daddy was home-”

Pietro kissed her temple, “I know you miss him. And I get that it’s scary to be on your own sometimes, but I promise, when you’re done, I’ll be there. And your dad will be home soon.”

“Promise?”

“I promise. And you know I wouldn’t lie to you, right?” 

“I guess,” she sighed, “But I wish I could be with you all the time.”

“If it makes you feel any better, I wish you could too,” he set her down as they neared Bruce’s meditation space where he had started to run sessions with Wanda, “Go on, you’ll be okay. I promise I wouldn’t have you do this if I didn’t think it was the best thing for you.”

She still held to his hand, “I don’t want to talk about it.”

“Baby-”

“I don’t!” she yelled. Pietro cringed. Wanda was a sweet girl most of the time, but when it came to talking about what had happened, she could really do a three-sixty with her personality. It caused Pietro to realize just how much Von Strucker had fucked with her mind, and it made his skin crawl. 

Apparently Bruce had heard her yelling, since he opened the door and said, “I can always tell what time it is by the sound of her shouting.”

Pietro looked mildly annoyed, “It’s not her fault. She doesn’t know.”

“I know that,” he said candidly, “Come on, Wanda.”

She moaned and hid her face in Pietro’s shoulder, “I have to stay with you.”

“From now on, let me just get her from her room and take her here,” Bruce said, “I don’t think she can handle saying goodbye to you.”

“Yeah, I think you’re right,” he said begrudgingly, “Wanda, I promise it’s going to be okay.”

“No, it’s not! You can’t leave!” she reached up to start yanking on her hair again, “You can’t! Promise you’ll never leave!”

“First of all, stop that right now,” he pulled her hands away, “Remember, you’re going to hurt yourself.”

“I don’t care!”

“I do,” he told her firmly, “Wanda, you are absolutely safe. There is nothing that will hurt you.”

She looked up at him through tear filled eyes, “You have to promise you’ll come back.”

“I promise,” he kissed her forehead, “Go now. It’ll be fine.”

Wanda tentatively took Bruce’s hand and let him lead her inside. He had told her that this was where he did most of his deep breathing and meditation that helped him stay in control of the Hulk. Anyone could see why-it was a nice, relaxing spot, and very quiet.

Well, it _was_ very quiet. After about five seconds, Wanda dropped to the floor and started screaming. Bruce knelt down next to her and said nothing at first, only held onto her wrists before she started trying to hurt herself again. After a few minutes he asked, “Wanda, can you please use your words and tell me what’s wrong?” 

She snapped her head up to look at him, and he had to admit, for a second it was somewhat terrifying. She looked almost rabid, completely out of control, and if he was being honest, dangerous. She was _trying_ to talk, but all that was coming out was a mix of slurs and stutters that were completely unintelligible. Bruce put a hand up, “Slowly. Take it one step at a time. Tell me in one word what you are feeling right now.”

Wanda was sobbing, but somehow managed to say, “Scared.”

“There’s nothing scary here, remember? I want you to know that the man who hurt you cannot do anything to you ever again. He’s gone, Wanda. You’re safe now.”

“I want my bro-”

“I know you wish your brother and your mom could be with you right now. But just because they aren’t doesn’t mean they love you any less. So right now, I want you to focus on something else.”

She looked at him dubiously, “Like what?”

“How you’re feeling.”

Wanda yanked on her hair, “I don’t know. I feel lots of things. There’s a lot of talking, and people everywhere. They won’t _stop_ talking to me. Even the flowers.”

“Talking, huh? What do they say?”

“Sometimes they’re nice. They tell me stuff about what they used to be. Other ones are mean and they tell me to go away, but I can’t help it. I don’t know how I feel about it. Some of them are in my house, and I wish they’d go away.”

“Do they have names?”

Wanda leaned back and drew her knees up to her chest, “Yes. There’s a dragon named Lockeed. And an angel, but I just call him Angel. Dani and Kurt are my friends sometimes, but I wish they wouldn’t always fight. There’s three girls and they all look exactly alike. Their names are Sophie and Phoebe and Mindy.”

“And they’re all at this other house?”

“Well, sometimes they come out. And anyways, people here are always talking too. Lorna never comes back with me, and neither does Eva. But she can’t talk because she’s a baby.”

“Did you tell your brother about this?”

“Kind of,” she put her thumb in her mouth so her words became a little more slurred, “He thinks it’s just my imagination, but it’s real. It really is.”

Bruce drummed his fingers on the ground, “How do you feel when your friends are talking to you?”

“Lots of things. It depends.”

“On what?”

“Stuff. Can I see my brother now?”

“Let’s talk a little bit more first.”

So, it turned out Wanda had a _lot_ of these imaginary friends-a silver man named Norinn, a sparkling dancer called Alison, a half girl half rabbit without a proper name, a guy she just called Wonder, and a few others. By the end of the session, Bruce found himself finding a hard time keeping track of all of them, even if Wanda seemed to find the whole thing perfectly normal. 

“Okay, Wanda,” he said eventually, “You did a good job today. Go find your brother.”

She jumped up, “Are you coming?”

“I need a little time on my own first. I’ll see you later,” Bruce told her. Wanda shrugged, and ran out the door.

As soon as she was gone, Bruce took out his phone and typed in a Google search.

_diagnosing schizophrenia_

 

 

When Wanda stepped into the common room, she let Pietro pick her up again while she listened to Natasha talk on the phone.

“DC? That doesn’t surprise me,” she was saying, “At least he’s got a place to stay. Yeah, that’s a good idea, don’t bring him here. Wanda misses him a lot…I know, I know. You think I should get down there?” she paused, “I get it. We all do. Okay, I’ll talk to you later.”

“Was that daddy?” Wanda asked, leaning her head on her brother’s shoulder. Natasha shook her head, “That was Sam. He’s with your dad.”

“Is he coming home?”

“Not right now, malyutka. He’s…helping a friend, and he needs to do it alone right now. He’s just at Sam’s because he helped him look.”

“Was his friend a missing person?”

“You could say that,” Natasha smiled sadly and spoke to Pietro, “I’ve got stuff to do today. Can you handle her by yourself?”

Pietro rolled his eyes, “I handled her by myself just fine for eleven years.”

“Just checking,” she kissed the top of Wanda’s head quickly, “See you later, sweetie.”

“Bye, Mama,” she glanced up at Pietro, “Can we have the whole day together?”

“Absolutely. Just you and me. What do you want to do?”

“Outside.”

He set her down, “Sure, I’ll take you outside. Go get your shoes.”

She made a face, “Can’t I go without them?”

“Not a chance, missy,” he ruffled her hair, “Come on, I’m sure you’ll survive.”

She grabbed his hand and led him towards the door, “I can show you Laurie!”

Pietro assumed that “Laurie” was going to be some random animal that Wanda had seen in the park and decided that she would name, and was more than a little surprised when she dragged him over to a flowerbed and knelt down next to a daisy, letting the dirt get on her knees and hem of her dress, “This is her!”

He sat next to her, “The flower?”

“Laurie,” she said fondly, stroking the petals, “She’s saying hi.”

“Oh. I didn’t know flowers could talk.”

“Not all of them can,” Wanda explained, “But she used to be a girl and then she died, and now she’s a flower.”

Pietro hated to admit it, since he had always done his best to encourage his sister’s imagination, but Wanda’s fantasies seemed to grow a little darker and more disturbing every day. Mostly it had to do with this House of M that she liked to make up, but when all of that started spilling into their everyday lives, it did freak him out.

“It’s just pretend, right?” he told her gently, “You know that.”

She sighed, “No, she’s real. I promise.”

Wanda was not in the habit of lying either. Pietro put an arm around her, in that moment, not really caring if anyone saw, “Well, I know it might seem real.”

She looked frustrated, “It _is_ real. I wouldn’t say it was real if it wasn’t!”

“Sweetheart,” he gave her shoulders a gentle squeeze, “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you upset.”

“You didn’t,” she sighed, “I wish I didn’t make you worry.”

“It’s my job to worry about you,” he helped her up and brushed some of the dirt off of her, “Come on, you want to walk?”

She nodded and held onto his hand like a lifeline. Pietro couldn’t help but feel like she was doing the same for him, keeping him grounded to the earth, giving him a reason to live and a purpose for being. He squeezed her hand, “I’m sorry I’ve been so busy lately.”

“It’s okay. I’ve been busy too.”

“Oh, really? Doing what?”

“Learning words. I want to say something in Gaelic and Russian and Norwegian and Sign Language. I know я тебя люблю and Jeg elsker deg. But I have to learn the other ones.”

He stared at her, “Are you seriously learning all those languages?”

“No. Just the important words.”

“Why?”

“Because I want to say them.”

Pietro shook his head, “You’re a funny girl, Wanda.”

“I make you laugh?”

“No. Well, you do, but I meant the kind of funny where something is strange but it’s also wonderful and it makes you think hard about things. You want to know more about it every day.”

“Oh,” she smiled up at him, “Is that good?”

“There is nothing about you that isn’t good.”

Wanda looked like she emphatically disagreed with that statement, but said nothing further on the matter. Instead, she pointed upwards, “I want to be a butterfly. Or a bird. Or something that can fly really high.”

“I think I like it most when you’re a Wanda.”

She laughed, “Okay, maybe I could just be a bird sometimes. I want to be a pink one, but tiny, so it’s easier to hide in a nest.”

“You’ve really thought this through, haven’t you?”

“I think about it a lot. Sometimes I want to be in the galaxy.”

“The galaxy?”

“Yes. You know in the sky, with moons and stars and planets. I want to be all the way up there.”

He smiled, “I would miss you.”

“You could come with.”

“That’s very thoughtful of you. What else do you want to be?”

“A ballerina. Mommy was one.”

“She was, wasn’t she?”

“What do _you_ want to be?”

Pietro laughed, “I’m very happy just being your brother.”

She looked disbelieving, “Are you sure?”

“Extremely sure. It’s a million times better than being in the sky.”

Wanda looked up at him with shining eyes, “You’re the best brother ever.”

 

 

“Close your eyes, I don’t want to get soap in them.”

Wanda listened, “I got soap in them once, remember?”

“That was because you weren’t listening to me and tried to wash your hair by yourself,” he said ruefully, “Although I probably shouldn’t have left you alone.”

The bathing situation had been a bit of an awkward issue when they got to the tower. Pietro had always had to help Wanda bathe, mostly because she really lost the ability to do it herself when she was younger-at least that was the explanation he had used to explain to everyone. In the back of his mind, he was also a little worried she might go into one of her panic modes and try to drown herself. In general, he just felt safer if he knew Wanda wasn’t alone, and she didn’t mind. She was actually pretty docile when he bathed her, for which he was forever grateful. 

Outside, the rumble of thunder promised the city a late night tempest. Wanda looked nervous. She hated big storms, and honestly, Pietro didn’t like them much either.

“It’s okay, baby,” he soothed, “It’s just a little rain.”

She drew her knees up to her chest, “I don’t like it.”

“I know. But I wouldn’t let anything hurt you, remember?” he squeezed the tips of her hair gently, letting the excess water fall, “And anyways, you’re so brave that I’m sure you could fight it off if you needed to.”

“I’m not brave. Everything makes me cry.”

“So what? That doesn’t mean you aren’t brave,” he started rubbing conditioner into her damp waves, “Close your eyes again.”

She shut them tightly, “Right now I’m a dolphin. Or a fish. Anything that lives in the water. Even a mermaid.”

“What about a shark?” he joked, washing out her hair again.

Wanda giggled, “Okay, but you have to be scared of me because sharks are scary.”

He put a hand over his heart in mock horror, “I’m terrified. You are the scariest shark who ever lived. You know what that means? I have to splash you.”

Wanda shrieked with laughter as he pushed a small wave of water at her, letting it splash over her shoulders, “I have to get you back now!”

“You’d better not!”

She smiled at him mischievously and sent a plethora of tiny droplets flying at him until he splashed at her again. They kept it up until Natasha knocked on the door and called loudly, “Pietro, you’re supposed to be giving her a bath, not reenacting a tsunami.”

“Okay, okay,” he said, still laughing, “Come on, sweetheart, I think that’s enough.”

“Was I a scary shark?”

“Terrifying,” he wrapped a towel around her shoulders as she stood up, “And now my scary sister needs to get some sleep.”

Wanda stuck her lower lip out, “My not scary brother should let me stay up later because it’s twin day.”

He dried her off, “I’ve never heard of it.”

“It’s when twins spend the whole day together. And then they watch a movie.”

Pietro smiled and raised an eyebrow as he pulled her nightgown over her head, “What movie?”

“Jasmine,” she said after a moment of consideration, “Please? I’ll go to bed after.”

“You are very convincing,” he kissed her forehead, “Fine, but just because apparently it’s twin day. I think the DVD is by the laptop. I need to clean up in here first.”

Wanda very nearly fell asleep by the end of the movie, curled up under Pietro’s arm, with her thumb in her mouth. The thunder outside had quieted long ago, and now there was only the sound of rain falling against the glass of the windows.

“M’ not tired,” she mumbled.

“I think you are,” Pietro closed the computer and reached over to shut off the lamp, “Goodnight, my beautiful girl. I love you so much.”

“I love you too.” 

In that moment, Pietro was able to forget about everything else, all the hardships they were going through.

Moments like this made it all worthwhile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You know what would be funny? Wanda trying to explain her family to some random person.
> 
> "My parents aren't married, and they've actually never even been together. But my mom has a girlfriend, and I'm kinda dating my brother sometimes, and he's also going out with my fairy godmother."
> 
> Also, I know the movie is actually called Aladdin, but lets face it, we just called those movies by the names of the princess that was in it. At least I did, and everyone else in my family. :p


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Go easy on me, I'm way insecure about this chapter.

The tower was constantly hectic. Pietro figured that nobody would notice, much less care, if he went out onto the balcony with a cigarette. 

Unless, apparently, Clint was involved.

“Oh my fucking _God_ , Pietro. You smoke?”

He turned around guiltily, “It doesn’t affect me in the same way if affects most people, and I just needed a break, okay?”

“Does Wanda know?”

He looked even more guilty now, “She thinks I quit. Which I did, I’ve just done it a few times since we moved here. But I hardly ever did it around her anyways,” he glanced away again, “I thought you took her to the park.”

“I did, but she needed to take a nap and it looked like it was going to rain again. Is everything okay?”

Pietro kicked at ground, “Bruce thinks Wanda is sick.”

Clint looked confused, “Like physically?”

“No. He…Jesus Christ. He thinks it might be schizophrenia,” he looked like he might cry, “I don’t know what to do.”

Clint froze for a moment as his mind processed what he had just heard before he managed to shake it off and put an arm around him, “Hey. Listen to me. It’s going to be okay. You don’t know for sure, right? And even if it does end up being true, lots of people with schizophrenia are able to lead completely normal lives. She’ll be able to be a happy kid.”

“I guess I suspected it for a little while,” his voice wavered, “I just feel guilty that I didn’t have her get looked at for it sooner. I could have made her life easier.”

“You don’t know for sure, Pietro. And you could not possibly have taken better care of her with what you had. There’s a reason she looks at you like you hung the moon, you know.”

Pietro leaned into Clint’s embrace, “I couldn’t do this without you.”

“Yes, you could. You already did a great job,” he kissed the side of his head, “Come in when you’re ready. And stamp that thing out.”

 

 

Wanda knew she was _supposed_ to be taking a nap, but she didn’t really want to, and the House of M was way more fun. Eva was awake this time, and even if she couldn’t talk, Wanda loved her more than she could say.

Anyways, if she wanted to talk to someone, she had Phoebe and Mindy and Sophie to keep her company. They had all come along for a picnic, eyes alight, and moving things around them as they chattered. Wanda handed Sophie a cookie, “Thanks for coming to my picnic.”

“You’re welcome,” they all said at the same time, “It’s a good day.”

“It is,” she agreed, cradling Eva in her arms and smiling down at her, “Are you having fun, darling? I’m so glad I’m your mommy.”

Eva blinked, beautiful blue eyes the color of the sky, and looked up at Wanda in a way that made her feel like for once, maybe she wasn’t awful and disgusting and bad. If she could make her baby feel happy, if someone so perfect and pure loved her, maybe she didn’t have to be horrible all the time. She nuzzled Eva’s forehead with her own, “I love you.”

“She’s so cute,” the girls said, “We’re glad you have your baby.”

Phoebe started, “How is your…”

“Family?” Sophie finished.

“Are they well?” Phoebe inquired, not wanting to be left out. Wanda nodded, “Well, it’s okay. My dad still isn’t home though, and I _really_ miss him. And Bruce thinks that I might need medication.”

“Why?”

“Because in the other world some people need it to help them,” she shrugged, “But you’re all real.”

They were. No matter what anyone said, Wanda knew they were real. She had created everyone there herself. Sometimes she felt like they didn’t listen to her enough, though-not that she wanted to boss them around, she just didn’t want them to fight and yell. At least she didn’t have to worry about that with the girls though. As they always said, they were three in one. Wanda wasn’t exactly sure what that meant, but she had come to assume that they were really just saying that they were so alike that they could never disagree. This was a little strange, since Mommy was always saying that Pietro argued with Clint all the time because they were too much alike, but he and Wanda never did, and yet they were opposites. 

“Are you going to be in trouble for not sleeping?” Phoebe asked.

“No. I’ll go back before they find me,” the closet had proved to be a very safe place to go to the House of M. She just had to step inside, think of where she wanted to go, and she was there. She had tried it with other places too, places in the other world, but it hadn’t worked. Maybe it only happened if you thought up the place yourself.

“You never get in trouble anyways,” Mindy said, “They just tell you no, and then that’s it.”

Wanda shrugged, “I want to be good for them. I’m awful right now, but if I try really hard, maybe I can be better. But once in Sokovia, a man told my brother that he should hit me and then maybe I’d listen more.”

“What did he tell him back?”

She put her hand over her mouth, “He said, “I’ll go to hell before I lay a fucking hand on her,” and then he told me not to repeat that.”

The girls laughed, “You have a good brother.”

“I know,” Wanda sighed, “I wish I made him happy. He just worries all the time. I think it’s another rule of love, to worry all the time.”

Sophie looked interested, “There are rules?”

“Yes. Not in the list kind of way, but everyone knows them. You love each other, don’t you?” 

They didn’t have to answer that. Wanda had made it so the girls would love each other, and when they nodded yes, it made her happy, “I’m glad! Isn’t it nice?”

“Very nice,” they chorused, “You have lots of people to love back home.”

“I know. But I love everyone here too,” she smiled down at Eva again, “My little baby. Mommy will always take care of you. I have a mama too, you know. She’s so wonderful. She would love you almost as much as I do.”

Eva gurgled and reached her arms up. Wanda hoped that if she could talk, she would be saying, “I love you too!”

“I wish I could take you to my other house so we could be together all the time,” Wanda sighed, “But I can’t believe that I get to see you here! I wished and thought about you and here you are.”

“Amazing,” the girls said in unison, “Could you make other houses too?”

“Maybe,” she shrugged, “But I don’t really need to. Two houses is enough, don’t you think?”

The girls probably responded, but before she could hear them, Wanda found herself back in the closet. She flung the door open and got on the bed just as Thor walked in and asked, “What were you doing? You’re supposed to be taking a nap, Wanda, you know that.”

“Sorry,” she said, “I wanted to play.”

He frowned, “You need to listen next time, okay? You hardly sleep at night.”

“That’s because it’s scary.”

He leaned over to pick her up, “I know, my little star. I know. You weren’t playing at your House of N, were you?”

“House of M,” she corrected, “And I was. My friends are there, and so is my baby.”

He stroked her hair, “Maybe you should try playing something else.”

“But I like it there.”

“Don’t you like it here?”

She didn’t answer, just put her thumb in her mouth and leaned her head on his shoulder. After a few minutes, she mumbled, “I wish Daddy would come home.”

“He’ll come back soon. He has important things to do.”

“What if he never comes back? I couldn’t stand it if he never came back.”

“Hush. You worry too much,” he sighed, “How did it go with Banner today?”

She cringed, “I cried again. I’m so sorry.”

“You don’t need to apologize for getting scared. I am scared sometimes, too.”

“Really?”

“Yes, really. Everyone is,” he paused, “What makes you scared?”

“People.”

“Which ones?”

“All of them. I hear them all the time and it’s too much. I hate it. I hate it,” her voice started to take on that dark, shaky quality that appeared when she was upset, “I hate it and I just want it to stop!”

“Shhh,” Thor ran his hand up and down her back, “Calm down, my angel. It’s alright. Everything is okay.”

“I’m awful,” she snapped, “I’m so disgusting and you should hate me.”

“No, darling, you’re not any of those things, and I could never hate you.”

She squirmed out of his arms, “ _I_ hate me.”

“Wanda-”

She started screaming and crying again, falling to her knees and clawing at her face. Thor grabbed her again, wrapping his arms around her and pinning her arms down. It didn’t stop the fact that the combination of scratching at her face and her powers had caused a cut down her face. In an instant, Pietro was there, kneeling in front of her and yelling at Thor, “What the hell happened?”

“I have no idea! She just panicked!”

“Oh my God,” he put both his hands on Wanda’s face, “Sweetheart, look at me.”

She was heaving sobs, “I want to go back!”

“Go back where?”

“To the house! My other house! I have to see my baby!” her hands and eyes lit up red and she managed to break free of Thor’s grasp in a blast of light.

“Wanda,” Pietro said loudly, “You _can’t._ It’s not real.”

“It is real!” she screamed, “I made it, and it’s real! I can show you!”

Pietro found himself being pulled towards the closet, while the room started to shake again. Somewhere in the chaos, the door had been slammed shut and locked (how had anyone done that?) and he could hear Natasha yelling on the other side. Thor grabbed onto Wanda’s other arm, “Child, stop this now!”

She only looked up at him and blinked, and Pietro was sure he must have too, because there was no way, no fucking way…

He was standing in a meadow. There was a fucking _castle_ in the near distance. And all around him were some of the weirdest looking people he’d ever seen. Some of them weren’t even people-there were animals of all kinds, and flowers that somehow seemed to be whispering in the soft breeze. Wanda was gone, but Thor stood next to him, looking terrified in a rare moment.

“What…how?” he croaked out, “Is this one of her illusions?”

“No. I mean, her illusions are different than this. This seems so real,” Pietro reached down to brush his hand across the grass, “Where are we?”

Thor shook his head, “I don’t know. It’s like another world.”

Wanda’s insisting on how real her House of M was suddenly came flooding back to Pietro, and he wished that he could just punch himself in the face.

She had been telling the truth. And he had missed it.

“How could I have been so stupid?” he snarled, “I’m the one who’s supposed to know her best!”

“You couldn’t have known.”

“This House of M, all her friends, the people talking to her, the baby, everything!” he shouted, “Everything that she’s been telling us she’s been doing, it’s real!”

“This is not the time to discuss it,” Thor looked panicked, “We need to find her. Where would she be?”

Pietro didn’t need to look far. He pointed towards the castle, “I think that’s where she…where she lives.”

“That’s not much of a house,” he muttered, “But I believe you may be right. We should go now.”

The entire world felt strange as they moved through it. Not like an illusion, but something that was so fragile it could be shattered in an instant. There were people flying around the skies, laughing and talking with each other, taking little to no notice of the newcomers in their world. Pietro noticed a blue, demon-like creature with glowing yellow eyes crouching in a tree, holding the hand of a girl who appeared normal until she seemed to walk straight inside the tree. The demon disappeared in a puff of blue smoke and was almost immediately replaced by a girl with green hair and a matching gown, sitting on a swing attached to the tree that almost certainly hadn’t been there a moment ago. She looked at them, terrified, “What are you doing here?”

Pietro was unsure of how to respond, so Thor did it for him, “A girl named Wanda brought us here.”

The green girl rolled her eyes, “I know who she is.”

“Well, who are you?”

The girl looked mildly distrusting as she said, “Lorna.”

That got Pietro’s attention, “Lorna?”

“That’s what I just said.”

_Lorna’s there too! But she’s a human there, not a cat._

“I…” he stuttered, “Where is she?”

“Wanda? She’s playing with Eva.”

“Who is Eva?” Thor asked

Lorna looked impatient, “Her _baby_. And you shouldn’t bother them either!”

Pietro could feel himself growing annoyed, “Well, I’m going to go find her,” he looked up at the horizon again, only to find that the castle was gone, “What the…”

Lorna giggled and pointed in the opposite direction. Pietro turned. 

Somehow, that fucking castle had moved. 

 

 

How much time had passed? Minutes? Hours? 

Pietro felt like everything around him was moving at an unnatural pace, he just couldn’t tell if it was too slow or too fast. It made him uncomfortable not knowing. He felt so completely out of control and like such a failure because Wanda had told him all this time and he had just brushed it off. Even Thor was completely rattled.

“I’ve never seen anything like this,” he murmured as they neared the castle, “She created a whole world.”

Pietro felt ill, “I can’t believe I let this happen.”

“You two have a horrible habit of blaming yourselves for everyone else’s pain.”

He was about to snap back, but before the words left his mouth, Pietro remembered that the god not only meant well, but he was probably right. And he loved Wanda too. That had to count for some amount of understanding. Pietro could give him some leeway because maybe, just maybe, Thor knew a little bit of what he was feeling. 

“You know,” he said, as if answering his thoughts, “I had a brother who was a little like her, just in the way that people didn’t know what to do with someone like him, so they tossed him away. Only, Wanda still has a chance because she’s got better people around her all the time. He died.”

“I’m sorry,” Pietro said, and he meant it.

“I told myself for a very long time that there was more I could have done to stop what happened. That it was somehow my responsibility that he was gone. And though I still feel sadness over his passing, I now know that I did everything I could have-I tried to help him overcome his struggles demons, and while that didn’t work, I still loved him until the end. That is all any of us can do for anyone. And that’s what you’ve done for her.”

Pietro remained silent, but let the words seep into his soul. Maybe if he didn’t open his mouth, he wouldn’t come out with some kind of counter to Thor’s words, and they could just comfort him for now as best they could. He pushed on the castle door, and watched it swing open. Inside, the whole place lookednice for the most part-but some things weren’t right. Paintings hanging off the walls, dirt on the carpet, and a few pieces missing from the crystal chandelier on the ceiling. 

“What’s happening?” Thor asked.

“I think she’s scared, and it’s falling apart.”

“So it’s built off of her emotions?”

“I don’t know. I’m really just guessing,” he reached another door, which led to a giant flight of stairs. They started up, passing a number of other doors built into the walls. Letting curiosity get the better of him, Pietro opened one. Inside, three identical girls in matching plaid skirts and white button down shirts looked up to greet him, all speaking at the same time, “Hello.’

“Hello,” he said awkwardly, “Who are you?”

“We’re the Stepford Cuckoos,” they chorused.

“Sophie.”

“Phoebe.”

“Mindy.”

They spoke at the same time again, “We’re three in one.”

“Mindy’s sick,” said Sophie sadly.

“We’re so sad,” Phoebe added.

“We’re all gonna get sick. You should leave. You’re making us sick.”

Pietro slammed the door shut, hard, “We have got to get out of here. Thor!”

The other man was ignoring him, seemingly invested in opening another door. Inside this one was a crying man, holding a woman in his arms, “Jean. Oh, Jean. No, no, no. Not you.”

The woman awoke, and turned to look towards the open door. Her eyes flashed in anger, _“Get out!”_

They both jumped as the door shut, pushed by an unseen force. After a moment of shocked silence, Thor said, “Yes. Keep going.”

Presently, they reached the top of the stairs, where the final door, painted a very soft shade of purple swung open for them. Inside, there was the sound of soft singing. Pietro stepped through cautiously, “Wanda?”

She had her back turned to him, but it was her, he knew it was her. She was cradling a little bundle in her arms, “I’ll be a good mommy. I’ll be good.”

“Wanda,” he said again, louder this time. She swung around to meet his eyes and smiled, “You see? It is real. I made it.”

“This is insane,” his voice was shaking, “You have to undo this, Wanda. All of it.”

“No, I don’t,” she looked hurt, “Why? It’s perfect here.”

“It’s not real!” he didn’t want to yell at her, but the words came spilling out of his mouth before he could stop them, “This is wrong! Put it back!”

“No!” she yelled, “You can’t make me! My beautiful baby!” she held the bundle closer to her chest, “I have to keep her with me!”

“Wanda,” he begged, “Sweetheart. I will get you help. I will make sure nothing ever hurts you again, but this is hurting you. It’s not real.”

“It _is_ real! You’re supposed to know that!”

“You made it, you can undo it. I know you can.”

“I don’t want to!” she yelled, “I’m horrible and disgusting and bad, but I’ll learn when I’m here! I’ll learn to be good. Everything will be okay,” her eyes sparkled with tears, “I’ll be good. I’ll be _such_ a good girl. That’s what _he_ said to me. Be a good girl, and people will love you. You’ll love me if I’m good, won’t you?”

Pietro felt like he was going to throw up, “I have always loved you. Always. Please, my angel, light of my life, come back with me.”

She turned away, “I have to be good.”

“Wanda!” he ran forward and grabbed her shoulder, “You can’t stay here. I swear to God, things will get better. But this is a fantasy that you somehow made real. And it’s not right, it’s not safe. It’s not even real.”

She pulled back from him, shaking her head, “You’re wrong. I wished for it, and I thought about it.”

“It came from your mind! You need to put it back!”

“No!”

“It’s not real,” he said, for what he hoped was the final time, “Your friends aren’t real. Eva is not real. I’m so sorry.”

Wanda screamed, and for a moment, Pietro thought for sure he had gone blind, because there was a huge flash of light for one second, and then darkness the next. 

No. Not darkness. He was back at home. They all were. 

The closet door had been blown open, and he could still hear the others on the other side of the bedroom door, screaming. It fell open, and they all clamored in, taking in the scene before them. Thor was kneeling, looking shaken but otherwise fine. Pietro could feel his heart banging wildly out of his chest. And Wanda was on the floor, sobbing.

“My baby,” she wailed, “My Eva! It’s gone, I ruined it!”

Pietro felt someone help him up. He didn’t know who it was, and he just barely registered Tony saying, “Call Fury.”

“No-” Clint started.

“Dammit, Barton!” he yelled, “Get him on the fucking phone! Thor, what the hell just happened?” 

He looked at Bruce, “She’s not schizophrenic. It’s real.”

“What’s real?”

“The House of M. Literally, she made it real.”

Bruce’s jaw dropped, “You’re kidding.”

“If only I was.”

“We could feel the shaking from out there. I think New York City just experienced a tremor.”

Natasha had her hand on Wanda’s shoulder, “Honey, are you okay?”

“Don’t touch her,” someone warned, to which she snapped, “Fuck off.”

“Pietro,” Wanda moaned, “I’m so sorry.”

He still felt frozen, but after only a few moments, instincts took over, and he went to wrap her up in his arms, not caring if it wasn’t safe. He pressed his lips to her hair and rocked her back and forth, “It’s okay, baby. I’m gonna make it okay.”

“I’m so sorry,” she sobbed, “I’m sick. I’m sick all over.”

“Shhh. I’ve got you,” he choked out. His own voice sounded distant to his ears, but the words were routine. Because he always knew what to say to Wanda. He’d loved her his whole life.

“I’ve got you.” 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Obviously, this was inspired by the House of M comic, but is really a different spin on it. Wanda created more of a "portal" to another world that she created, which she ended up taking Pietro and Thor through. It was largely affected by her emotions, so when she went there feeling upset and scared, things started going wrong, and when she was confronted with the fact that it really just wasn't "real" she just tore the whole thing apart.


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's a flashback scene in this which describes the abortion. If that could be triggering or just too upsetting for you to read, skip what's in italics. There's a little chunk in the middle of the flashback that for some reason, switched to normal text and wouldn't go back no matter how many times I tried to fix it, so sorry about that.

_Wanda would have moved if she could, just to see what was going on, but her hands, and feet and neck were clamped down to the table with steel binds. She moved her fingers a little bit, wishing she could run them over her stomach and feel her baby there. Her Eva._

_“Maybe it’s a boy,” Abra had reminded her about a week ago._

_“No. My baby girl,” she had said, smiling. She had considered naming Eva Marya instead, but that had been Mama’s name, and that name should only belong to her. And then she had thought about Luna, but Pietro already had his heart set on that name for his daughter one day, and everyone was always telling her that Von Strucker was her baby’s dad-so she had settled on Eva._

_Right now, Abra was running her fingers through Wanda’s hair, trying to comfort her. It was a nice gesture, but Wanda wished it was Pietro there instead._

_“What’s going on?” she asked._

_“Quiet,” the word was harsh, but her tone was not, “I beg of you, child. Don’t say anything.”_

_“Is my baby coming?”_

_Abra didn’t answer. One of the guards told her she had to step back, and she snapped, “It’s too late. Five months? You waited too long.”_

_“Von Strucker decided that he wants to take no risk with the experiments. Do you think any of this was my idea?” he replied roughly, “Step back.”_

_Wanda’s brain felt fuzzy. The entire room was a haze, and she didn’t know why._

_How long had it been like this?_

_She could hear voices growing fainter in the distance, and she couldn’t move, she wanted to get up so badly, but she couldn’t, and someone was hurting her. It stung. Her stomach suddenly started to ache, and her heart jolted in fear. What if there was something wrong with Eva? What if she was sick?_

_She felt her mouth moving, trying to form words, but nothing came out. As the voices of the doctors and guards grew fainter, everything else seemed to grow louder. She was probably crying, but at this point, she couldn’t even tell for sure. It felt like there was a storm brewing around her and slowly closing in, with thunder crashing and waves coming down hard on the shore of a beach._

_She was going to be sick. Her stomach really hurt now. She started yelling and screaming as it slowly got more intense, as the ache in her body grew worse._

_If Pietro was there, he would have made it better. Wanda tried to pretend she was safe and warm in his arms instead of strapped down by icy steel. She tried to make the voices of the doctors into her brother singing her to sleep. She remembered the last time she had been sick, shaking him awake in the night. Normally she wouldn’t have bothered him, but her body had been aching so badly and she didn’t want to vomit everywhere and wake him up like that._

_“Did you have a bad dream, honey?” he’d asked, sitting up and pulling her close._

_“I feel really sick, and I’m sorry that I woke you up-”_

_“Don’t be sorry,” he’d kissed her temple, “I’m proud of you for telling me. Lie back again, I’ll try to get your fever down.”_

_“What if I get you sick?”_

_“Then we’re both doomed,” he’d joked, “I’ll be fine, baby girl. It’s my job to take care of you.”_

_“Do I have a job?”_

_“Yes. Letting me take care of you.”_

_She had frowned, “I think that’s a hard job. I’m a lot of trouble.”_

_“No, no you’re not,” he smiled, “You’re mostly a lot of fun.”_

_His voice was fading out now, and someone else was talking to her. Someone was whispering, “Stop asking. He’s not coming for you.”_

_Had she been crying for Pietro? She didn’t remember. All she knew was that everything was fire and pain, and she was just now coming to her senses. She felt the clamps holding her down release, and she sat straight up, hand flying to her stomach._

_“Eva…” Wanda looked around in confusion. Something was wrong. She could feel it, her baby wasn’t there anymore. Her whole body still hurt so badly, and when she tried to stand up, she just collapsed to the ground. Abra had her face buried in her hands, and one of the guards was talking to her in a low voice._

_“Abra,” Wanda said, “Where is my baby? Is she here?”_

_The woman let out a howl and grabbed the guard by his jacket, “Do you see what you’ve done? Look at the damage you’ve caused! And I…” she started sobbing in earnest, “I watched it happen. Oh, it was my fault. I let this happen.”_

_“Let what happen?” Wanda felt her heart start to race, “Is everyone okay?”_ _  
_

_The guard was talking to Abra again, trying to calm her, but her voice only grew more distressed, “I’ll tell! I’ll tell everyone about what you’ve done-”_

_Wanda heard the shot ring out, but she didn’t register that Abra’s body hit the floor until about five seconds after the impact. She screamed, and felt the cold steel of a gun on her neck too, before someone said roughly, “She has to be alive for the experiments. Put it down, she’s harmless.”_

_“Where’s my baby?” she was still yelling, “Give her to me!”_

_One of the guards was suddenly inches from her face, “You want to see your fucking child? Do you?”_ __  
  
“Yes!” she usually would have cowered, but right now she didn’t care. The guard signaled to a doctor, who gave him a deeply disturbed look and handed over a small bundle of towels. The guard shoved it into Wanda’s arms. She looked down, and her breath caught in her throat.

_“But she’s not…”_

_“She’s dead,” he said roughly, “Maybe….maybe if you had loved her more, she would still be here.”_

_“No,” she shook her head, “I do love her. I tell her all the time that I love her so much. She’s still here. My beautiful little girl,” the child wasn’t even completely formed and a bloody mess, but Wanda knew she was beautiful, “She’s mine. I’ll take care of her.”_

_“God, how stupid can one person be?” he yanked Eva out of her arms again, “She’s dead.”_

_“No, she’s not,” Wanda still felt dizzy and achy, and sick when she stood up on shaky legs, “Eva, you’re okay. You’re okay. Let me see her,” she stumbled a little bit, and felt herself being held up by unfamiliar hands, “Let me see her! My baby!”_

_“Get her out of here.”_

_“Wait!” she screamed, “Eva! I promise, I love you! Please come back!”_

_She didn’t stop yelling, even as she was hauled back into her cell and thrown unceremoniously, onto the cot. The guards slammed the door shut and she could hear the sound of it locking. Still, she threw herself towards it and banged on the slab of iron, begging, pleading, sobbing, and god everything hurt, it hurt so bad._

_“I promise, I’ll love her so much! Give her back to me!”_

 

 

Wanda screamed, and she could hear the sound of something breaking as red beams shot out from her fingertips. Her entire world was shaking again. 

“Wanda!” someone grabbed her hands and pinned them down again, too much like those steel clamps on the operating table. She lurched forward and fell down to the ground, burying her face in the carpet and sobbing.

“Honey, it’s okay,” Natasha had her hands in her hair, “Are you okay?”

“My brother,” she said frantically, “I need to see him. I need to see him right now. Take me to him.”

“I’ll get your brother, okay?” she said gently, “You can’t leave your room right now.”

“Please get him.”

“He’s coming, baby. He’s having a very serious discussion with Fury right now.”

“About what?”

Natasha didn’t answer, just pulled Wanda close and kissed the top of her head, “It’s not important for you.”

That was a lie, she could tell, but she didn’t argue with it. She still wanted to kick and scream and cry. She wanted to be good, too. She did.

But she wasn’t good. There was nothing good about her. She was disgusting.  

“ _Mommy_ ,” she wrapped her arms around Natasha’s neck and sobbed into her chest, “I’m _so_ s-sorry, I promise, Mommy, I really am, please don’t hate me-”

“Baby,” Natasha whispered, “Mama’s here, okay? I’m right here, and I’ll never let anything hurt you ever again.”

“I’m sorry,” she kept repeating, “I’m so sorry.”

“Shhh,” she threaded her fingers through Wanda’s hair, “It’s not your fault. Mommy’s always gonna love you, okay? You’ll always be my little girl.” 

“I just wanted her back. I wanted you to meet her.”

“I know. It’s okay.”

“I loved her,” she sobbed, “I promise.”

“Of course you did.”

“I did,” she repeated, as if she were trying to convince herself of it, “I loved her. I tried so hard.”

“Wanda.”

She glanced up to see Pietro now kneeling in front of her. He took her from Natasha, and lifted her up into his arms. She rested her head on his shoulder and wrapped her legs around his waist, “Don’t ever go!”

“Never ever.”

“Don’t be mad!” she was still bawling, “I didn’t mean to! I just wanted to see her!”

“I know that, baby. It’s not your fault,” he murmured, “Everything will be okay.”

“I love you.”

“I love you too.”

“No,” she put her head back so she could look him in the eye, “I _promise_ I love you. So much. You won’t leave, right? You can’t. Because I didn’t love her enough, and if I had she would have stayed with me! But I’ll love you forever, and then you’ll always be here.”

“Oh, Wanda!” Pietro felt his heart snap, “I know you loved her. There was nothing you could have done.”

She didn’t answer.

Pietro was right about most things. But he was wrong about this.

 

 

“Open. Come on, baby, you can do it.”

Wanda hesitated, but listened and let him put a spoon in her mouth. She still felt gross and sick, but Pietro being near her somehow made her feel a little better. Even if it was just because he had to feed her because she wouldn’t eat on her own.

“Good job,” he said softly, “That wasn’t so bad, was it?”

She whined and buried her face in her hands. Pietro sighed as he touched her shoulder, “I’m sorry. I guess I didn’t do as good a job of taking care of you as I could have, huh?”

“No!” the thought that Pietro felt like he had let her down was horrifying to Wanda, “You’re my favorite person ever.”

“I should have done better. You didn’t deserve any of this hell you’ve gone through,” he said, “You know I love you so much, right? You’re everything to me. That will never change.”

She swallowed hard, “Can I ask tell something? About what happened?”

He breathing suddenly grew shallower, “Y-yes. Of course. You can always tell me anything.”

“When he touched me one of the times…”

“One of the times?” Pietro almost dropped her off his lap, “You mean he touched you more than once?”

“He touched me a lot of times.”

Pietro looked like someone had stabbed him straight through the chest. Wanda touched his face, “Don’t be upset. Should I not tell? I don’t want to make you sad.”

“No,” he shook it off, “Tell me. Please.”

She looked nervous, “Sometimes I wanted him to like me. He said he didn’t like me, but I wanted him to, sometimes, and I don’t know why because I’m afraid of him. Is that wrong? He said that if I was a good girl maybe he’d even love me.”

Pietro leaned forward and stroked her hair, “It’s okay if you felt like that. But what he did to you had nothing to do with love. It was about manipulation and power and fear. Anyone who says that they love you should never treat you like that. And if anyone does try to touch you in any way that hurts you again, you _have_ to tell me. Or your parents, or Helen, Clint, Thor, Bruce, anyone. It’s never your fault if someone does that to you. Understand?”

Wanda sniffed, “I understand.

“Good. You’re so brave for talking about it. I know it’s hard for you.”

She didn’t seem to want to talk about it anymore, since she just started sucking her thumb again and mumbled, “Can we go give hugs?”

“Yes,” he swept her up and flashed back to their room, lying on the bed and positioning her in his arms. She stopped sucking her thumb, for a moment so she could reach up and peck his cheek very quickly. Pietro smiled and kissed the tip of her nose, “I love you.”

“Love you too,” she whispered, “Never ever go away from me.”

“Never ever, baby girl.”

 

 

Pietro knew he should have gone out to talk to Fury again, who had not only insisted that Steve come back from his hunt, but also that they call a man named Stephen Strange, who would help with…something.

But he couldn’t bring himself to leave her at a time like this, and he’d much rather snuggle with Wanda anyways. After a few hours, Clint shook him awake, “Steve’s gonna be home soon.”

“What about this Strange guy?”

“Fury’s still trying to get a hold of him,” Clint sounded worried, “I don’t know what he does exactly. Let’s just hope he doesn’t put her through any more trauma.”

Pietro snorted, “Like I’d let that happen.”

“Well, you got her down for a nap. That’s huge. Usually she hates sleeping in the day.”

“She wants to be with everyone else. I guess we know now that we can’t leave her alone for more than two minutes.”

“Yeah,” Clint reached down to stroke her hair, “She’s a good kid.”

“Of course she is,” he agreed, “I just don’t know what to do to help her now.”

“Well, you’ve never stopped loving her. I think that’s the most important thing anyone can do. And hey, I love her too.” 

“I know you do.”

Wanda stirred and started to blink, “C-Clint?”

“Hey, baby,” he pressed a kiss to her forehead, “How are you doing?”

She shrugged, “I dunno.”

“Well, your daddy’s going to be home soon.”

That made her eyes light up, “Really? So all of us can be together?”

“Yep,” he ruffled her hair, “You want to get up? He’s probably going to be amazed that you slept in the day. How come you only behave for your brother?”

She giggled, “I behave for Dad.”

“Yeah, right. Last time I tried to get him to put you down for a nap he ended up letting you watch My Little Pony for an hour.”

“Daddy loves that show,” she rubbed her eyes as she got out of bed.

“And I never let him forget it,” Clint grinned, “Come on, kid.”

In the common room where everyone else was gathered, the three of them were met with uneasy stares from Tony and Thor, although it passed for the latter after just a moment. He smiled and spun her around, “There’s my little star.”

She laughed, pure and happy and free, a sound that had become somewhat unfamiliar to everyone lately so it was practically a delight to hear it. Natasha smiled too, and rolled her eyes, “You two are going to break something one of these days!”

  
“What, one of those ugly vases?” Thor joked, “I’m going to make an active effort to break them now.”

“Hey,” Tony protested, “Those are imported from Italy, and they cost a fortune.”

“You got cheated, my friend.”

“Ha ha. You’re completely unfunny, Point Break.”

Thor hoisted Wanda up on his hip, “ _She_ appreciates my sense of humor.”

“That’s because you give her candy and take her to the movies.”

Bruce smirked, “I wouldn’t go criticizing anyone else’s babysitting skills if I were you. Didn’t you suggest Scream to watch together?”

Tony threw his hands up, “It’s a classic, and she would have loved it!”

“Sure, if you covered her eyes for about ninety-nine percent of the movie.”

Before Tony could retort, the door opened and Steve walked in, “Hey, guys.”

“Daddy!” Wanda dropped out of Thor’s arms and ran into her father’s, who lifted her up, “I missed you so much!”

“I missed you too, princess,” he looked a little unsettled, probably from the events of the previous night which had been recounted to him in great detail, but he didn’t let it on to her, “I’m so glad I get to be back with you again.”

“Do you want to see the picture I drew for you? It’s not as good as yours are, but it has lots of flowers and bunnies on it.”

“Flowers and bunnies? That sounds better than anything I could ever make,” he kissed her cheek, “Lead the way, honey.”

Wanda grabbed him by the hand and led him out of the room while Fury called after them, “Rogers, we need to talk!”

“Give me a few minutes!”  
  
“He really means a few hours,” Natasha smiled, “Let me get you a drink, Fury, you’re gonna be here for a while.”

“Whatever it is, put it on the rocks,” he grumbled.

“I’ve got it,” Tony stood up, “I could use a drink too. Anyone else? You look like you need it, Speedy.”

“I’m fine,” Pietro said distantly, still trying to make sense of everything that had happened that day. 

And then it dawned on him.

“Wait, you were going to let her watch _what?”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am overwhelmed at all the support I've received while writing this, and I just want to say thank you again! <3 You guys really are the best! :)  
> Also, if you want to cry/geek out about the twins, hit me up on Tumblr- muchshipmanyotp


	20. Chapter 20

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's mostly just Steve and Wanda fluffiness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is SUPER short. Sorry about that, the next one will be longer.  
> I know Doctor Strange is OOC in this, but hey, he's a hard character to write, and I just wanted to have some fun with it. Also, tons of fluff.

Wanda was very unsure of what to think about Doctor Stephen Strange. He seemed nice enough, and insisted that everyone just call him Stephen, a little like Misty liked to be called her first name, but he also had a mustache that villains always had in old black and white movies, and his voice was just a little too intimidating for her. It was loud, booming, and he seemed to literally shout everyone’s full names when they were introduced to him ( _“Anthony Edward Stark!_ Can’t _believe_ we’ve never met!")

Wanda cowered behind Pietro when Stephen got to her. He shouted at him in the friendliest manner possible, and when he reached around to shake hands with Wanda, she could tell that his eyes were kind.

“So, you’re the little one,” he smiled, “Wanda, am I correct?”

“Yes,” she mumbled, staring at the ground.

“You’ll have to speak up, my dear,” Stephen said cheerfully, “If I was as old as friend Rogers over there, I wouldn’t be able to hear you!”

Steve looked mildly insulted and Natasha, Clint and Pietro all started snickering. Helen threw them a warning glance, upon which they immediately assumed much more serious expressions.  Wanda was sucking her thumb and trying her best to avoid eye contact with Stephen, who seemed to sense her discomfort.

“I mean you no harm, my child,” he said in a slightly quieter tone, “You know, I have been very interested in you for quite awhile. Much the way Shield was interested in Natasha.”

“My mama.”

“Ah, yes. Your mother. Of course. She tells me you have a rather…. _interesting_ way of creating entertainment.”

Wanda guessed what he meant, “I didn’t mean to hurt anyone.”

“Oh, you didn’t!” he waved his hand, “Not at all! It’s only that I’m afraid it wouldn’t have taken much longer before you did. You see, I felt a…shift in magical dimensions when it occurred, almost like an earthquake. I was afraid they were going to fall apart. Luckily, I managed to hold them until it stopped, but-”

“I didn’t make an earthquake.”

“I said it was _like_ an earthquake, and I know you didn’t do it intentionally. But you did. Not to mention that you created another world, gave it life, and destroyed the whole thing in an instant.”

“It wasn’t like that,” she said nervously, “I didn’t _want_ to destroy it, it was just really scary, and things were going wrong.”

He patted her head, “Of course. I understand completely. Perhaps you could tell me a bit more about it? I’d love to hear more about your House of N.”

“House of M _.”_

“My mistake,” he said, cheerful as ever, “Shall we begin? And perhaps it would be best if it was in less of a group setting.”

Bruce led them to his mediation space, where Stephen immediately started firing off questions. How many people were there? Why make it in the first place? Did anyone come back with you? Do you think you could make it again? Could you make more than one? Could you take them apart again? 

The whole thing took about forty minutes. Stephen patted Wanda’s head again and went out to talk to the others.

“….. not even sure exactly how powerful she is because I don’t really understand it,” Stephen admitted, “This could all just be an overreaction.”

Fury spoke, “Well, assuming the worst, what would happen?”

There was a very uncomfortable pause. Then Stephen started talking again, “Now, look. I’m not saying that she is most certainly going to do it again-”

“Get to the point, Strange.”

“But if she is capable of what I think she may be capable of, which, and I don’t mean to brag, would be somewhat similar to my own abilities, yes, she’s dangerous. Even if she doesn’t mean to be. Anyone who can create and tear apart their own dimension like that is a threat, particularly if she is a traumatized child. From what I have seen in her, the House of M was real, not just an illusion she dragged you into. The people there were real. She created them, and they took on lives of their own.”

“And then she killed them.”

“Now, look,” it seemed that “now, look” was Stephen’s precedent for every sentence that might bring bad news, “I don’t think she really realizes that. And she certainly didn’t mean to kill anyone. I know what you want to hear, Fury, and I can’t in good moral conscience tell you to put her down like a rabid animal.”

Pietro spoke up, “I already told you, that option is off the table.”

“Contrary to what you might believe, I don’t get a kick out of executing people,” Fury shot back, “Shield is starting fresh, and I don’t want it to begin with one of the newest members of the team we founded losing her mind and creating magical havoc.”

“Now, look-”

“Stop saying that!” Fury barked, “I want to know if it should be an _option.”_

Stephen seemed to soak that in before replying, “I believe observation and knowledge must precede action. You don’t know enough to make that decision yet. If anything like this happens again, contact me immediately.”

After a few farewells which were much less jovial that the introductions, Doctor Stephen Strange took his leave.

 

 

 

Steve took Wanda out for the rest of the day. He wore a baseball cap pulled over his face so he wouldn’t be recognized, and she kept her head down, holding tightly to his hand.

“Why did he have to talk to me?” she asked as they walked down the street, “Why did he want to know about my house?”

“We’re just trying to understand what happened better, Wanda. I know it’s hard for you to use your words sometimes, and a little help is good,” he paused, “Do you want to talk about it now?”

“No,” she looked up at him fearfully, “ _Please_ don’t make me.”

Steve knew he probably should make her, but he couldn’t bring himself to push it. He wrapped a protective arm around her shoulders, “I’m not going to make you, princess.”

“What did you do when you were gone?” she asked, “Did you find your friend?”

He sighed, “Not yet. I thought we were getting close, but it turns out I was wrong.”

“Maybe he’ll find you first,” Wanda said, trying to make him feel better, “What is he like?”

Steve laughed, “Now that’s an option I didn’t consider. I don’t know, baby. He’s..a little like your brother actually. Cocky, friendly most of the time but a little too serious the rest of it, and way overprotective.”

“Why do you have to look for him?”

“It’s a long story,” he said quickly, “And it’s definitely not something you need to hear. Hey, do you want ice cream? Don’t tell your mom.”

She laughed, “I won’t.”

They ended up sitting outside the cafe, in a little corner of the courtyard where they were unlikely to be noticed or bothered. Wanda wished she could just sit on Steve’s lap and let him sing her to sleep, but apparently she wasn’t allowed to do those things out of the house. It was still nice to be with him though. 

“Honey,” Steve said in a low voice, “You can’t do that here.”

Wanda realized that she had been sucking her thumb again, and immediately let her hand fall to her side, “Sorry.”

“No, don’t be sorry. I know things are hard for you.”

“It’s hard for you too,” she pointed out, “You don’t like going near construction sites because you hate big noises. And you stay awake during thunderstorms because they’re scary.”

Steve made a noise of agreement, “I don’t like big noises, that’s for sure.”

“If you get scared I’ll give you hugs. Maybe that can make you feel better.”

“I appreciate that, honey,” he squeezed her hand. Wanda wondered if he was wishing things could be like they were at home too. 

He spoke up, “Wanda, I wanted to talk to you about something. Do you feel lonely?”

She looked at him in surprise, “I have all of you, in the tower.”

“I know,” he fidgeted, “It’s just that I was wondering if you wished you had a friend to play with.”

“I have Anna-Marie,” she said half heartedly. It was true, Anna was her friend. But she also had a lot of other responsibilities and friends who seemed much more grown up. Wanda liked to see her sometimes, but it also made her feel like she had a babysitter instead of a real friend sometimes, “I had other friends too, but they’re gone now. Sophie and Phoebe and Mindy. And Norinn and Wonder, and Alison and-”

Steve stopped himself from saying that he meant real friends, because apparently all these people had been very real, “I just feel bad that you have to either play on your own or with one of us.”

Wanda wished desperately that she had that too, but she didn’t want to make him feel worse, “Don’t be sad for me, Daddy. I don’t mind being on my own.”

“I just want you to be happy. You make _me_ so very happy, do you know that? When I became your dad, it was the best thing that had happened to me in a really long time.”

“Oh!” she reached over to hold his hand, “I’m glad I helped make you happy. I know I’m really awful, but-”

“You’re not awful. Stop saying that.”

“But I am.”

Steve looked at her like his heart might break, “I love you, baby girl. I love you so much.”

“I love you, Daddy,” she leaned across so she could hug him quickly, “Thank you.”

“For what?”

“Everything.”

Steve held onto her a little longer than he should have when they were outside.

But it was okay for now. Because he knew she was his little girl, and that was all that mattered. And he wished he could tell her that she could be herself, she could be as small as she felt, but holding her in his arms sufficed enough. 

 

 

Clint, Pietro, Natasha, and Helen all ended up getting kicked out of the tower that night-well, Helen actually insisted that they let Wanda spend some time with her dad, which they all agreed was a good idea after he had been gone.

“What color do you want?” Steve asked her after dinner, looking at the small pile of nail polish they had laid out on the common room table. She picked one up and handed it to him,  “Purple.”

He squinted, “That looks like a shade of pink.”

“Fuschia. That’s a kind of purple.”

The bottle did read _Fuschia Fusion_ on it. Steve shrugged and started painting. Wanda’s hands seemed so tiny and breakable compared to his, or anyone else’s in the tower really. 

 _Everything_ about her seemed tiny and breakable, which he knew was a stupid thing to think because obviously, little or not, she could hold her own in a fight. It was probably just overprotective dad instinct getting the better of him again.

“They’re so pretty,” Wanda admired as soon as he was done, “Can I do you now?”

He laughed, “You want to paint my nails?”

“Pietro lets me do his sometimes. I think he likes it. And sometimes I do Thor’s hair, but I think yours is too short.”

Steve vaguely remembered once seeing Thor walking around the tower with sparkly butterfly clips and braids, “Well, you always make him look good, so I’ll trust you on this. That Fuschia is a nice color.”

Her face lit up, “I promise it’ll look really pretty!”

For someone with such tiny, shaky hands, Wanda was actually not bad at applying nail polish. There were a few tiny smudges, but they weren’t incredibly noticeable, and she spent a lot of time making sure they looked good. Afterwards, she blew on them to dry and held her hands up to his, “We match.”

“Best nail salon experience I’ve ever had,” he joked, “Do I have to pay?”

“A gazillion dollars,” she giggled, “No, I’m just kidding. You’re my daddy, so it’s free.”

“Oh, thank God. I was thinking I might have to rob a bank or something.”

“Robbing banks is bad,” she told him seriously, “We should watch a movie instead.”

“Which one?”

“Tony said that Jaws is one of the best movies ever and everyone should watch it.”

“No way.”

“Okay, Merida.”

“That’s better,” he said, standing up, “Let’s go.”

Since Wanda had become such a big part of his life, Steve was sure he had watched every Disney princess movie a million times. Brave was probably his favorite, next to Snow White, which he remembered going to see with Bucky when they were kids. It brought back good memories.

Wanda curled up on his lap with Lorna cuddled against her chest, letting him wrap his arms around her. He tried to think of himself as a shield, stronger than vibranium, more powerful that any weapon Stark could come up with.

_She’s safe she’s with me I won’t let anything happen to her everything’s okay it’s fine I’ll protect her I’ll never stop protecting her I swear_

“Are you okay, Daddy?” Wanda asked, noticing that he seemed to have disappeared into his own thoughts. He blinked, “I’m fine, princess.”

“Thanks for watching with me,” she snuggled closer to him, “You’re the best dad ever.”

“It’s only because I have the best daughter ever,” he kissed the top of her head.

Wanda seemed content for a little while, and didn’t say much for the rest of the movie. When it was over, she was nearly asleep. She clung to him tightly and hid her face in his neck, “Can I sleep in your room tonight?”

“Yeah,” he said softly, smoothing her hair back, “Of course you can. What story do you want?”

“Cinderella.” 

It had practically become a running gag to ask her what story she wanted to hear, because it was always Cinderella. Steve detached her from him so he could lay her down. She whimpered and reached her arms up.

“Just one second, baby girl,” he slid in next to her, “Okay, you can attack me with hugs now.”

Wanda clutched at him and started sucking her thumb again once she got settled. Steve stroked her hair and started to whisper the story, the words that had become just as much a comfort to him as they were to her.

 

 

Steve slept well. Apparently Wanda didn’t, since she woke him up by kicking and crying. 

He never shook her awake from a nightmare. Instead, he just sat up and let her sit on his lap and lean her head on his chest while he murmured to her, racking his brain for anything soothing he could say.

“Wanda,” he said, raising his voice to just below a normal speaking level, “Baby, it’s okay.”

Her whole body shook, and with a sharp jolt, she blinked awake. For a moment she was quiet, and the only sound in the room was that of heavy breathing until she started sobbing into his chest, “ _Daddy.”_

“Shhh,” he rocked her back and forth in a slow, rhythmic motion, “Daddy’s here, okay? Nothing’s going to hurt you. I promise, you’re safe.”

She started yanking on her hair again, and Steve fumbled to pull her hands away, “No, don’t do that. Just take deep breaths for me, okay? That’s it, you’re safe. Everything’s okay.”

“I’m scared,” she moaned, “Daddy, I’m  _so scared_ , and I’m sorry I’m so gross and disgusting.”

“Shhh,” he murmured, “You don’t need to be scared anymore. It’s over now, okay? Nobody will ever hurt you again. I won’t let anything happen to you.”

She mumbled something that he couldn’t quite make out, but after a few minutes, she said very audibly, “Are monsters real?”

Steve’s immediate reaction was to go and chew out Tony for showing her one of his horror films, but somehow, he got the feeling that wasn’t what she was upset about. He whispered to her, “No, baby. Monsters aren’t real. And even if they were, I’d never let them get to you.”

But that was the thing. Steve was pretty sure he knew what she had been dreaming about. 

And as long as there were men like Von Strucker, he could be sure that monsters were very real.


	21. Chapter 21

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Good dear lord, this chapter sucks. BUT more Mommy!Natasha was requested, so that's in here! :D Also, some bonding with Bruce.

Wanda glared at the wall she was facing, “I don’t want to do this.”

“It helps to relax your mind. Picking one spot and focusing on it,” Bruce said, facing the other wall, “After this we can talk a little, okay?”

“I already talk to Misty,” she objected, “What do we need to talk about?”

Bruce shoved his glasses up the bridge of his nose, “We are all a little bit concerned about you, Wanda.”

That was an understatement. Pietro was beyond stressed out. Wanda noted, “I make you all upset.”

“No, you don’t,” he turned around, “Sit. Do you know what one of the things that worries your brother is?”

She shook her head, “No.”

“We probably never would have found out what happened to you at Hydra if Tony hadn’t managed to get a hold of those files. Because you don’t tell anyone what’s going on until it becomes too much for you to handle, and then you freak out.”

Wanda looked almost offended, “I tell things.”

“Not enough. You’ve directly gone and woken up Natasha when you were scared all of one time. Have they talked to you about that?”

They had, a little bit. Pietro just didn’t seem to find it necessary to make her tell him what she wanted, he knew her well enough that he could tell on his own. And Steve and Natasha, while still learning how to read whatever signals she gave off, didn’t generally like to push her. Neither did anyone else.

“You need to learn to use your words,” Bruce continued, “Why is that hard for you?”

“It’s scary,” she muttered, looking away. Usually, she liked having her hair in pigtails (today Natasha had tied them with lavender bows, which she loved) but it also made it harder to put her hair in front of her face so she could hide away.

“What’s scary about it?”

“Everything!” 

“Be more specific. Pick one thing and tell me.”

Wanda threw herself on the floor and screamed. Bruce sighed and grabbed her arms firmly, sitting her upright, “Stop that.”

“I can’t!” she sobbed, “Don’t make me, please don’t make me.”

Bruce felt a little tug on his heartstrings. She wasn’t just saying it. She _did_ look scared. A terrified little kid who could be made happy by something as small as her brother cuddling her.

This was the girl who had taken all of them out. If only they had known what she was actually like.

“Wanda,” he said in a gentler voice, “Take a deep breath. Think of something that makes you happy.”

She rocked back and forth, her knees drawn up to her chest, “I just want my brother. What if he stops loving me?” her eyes grew even more panicked, and she grabbed Bruce’s hand. It was glowing red with her powers and stung quite a bit. He cringed as she moaned, “I need him! I need him to love me, I can’t be alone! What if he doesn’t love me anymore? I’m _so_ disgusting, I’m scared he won’t.”

“Wanda. Deep breaths. Listen to me,” Bruce said, detaching his hand and putting it on her shoulder, “Breathe.”

“I can’t!”

“Yes, you can. I believe in you. I want you to believe in yourself.”

She sniffed, “I can’t. I’m disgusting and sick, I know I am.”

“Why do you feel that way?”

She wiped her eyes, but her voice still wavered, “He said.”

“Did he say that when he hurt you?”

Wanda was silent. That said enough. 

Bruce asked, “Did he say anything else to you?”

“I guess,” she finally spoke, “At first he said he thought I was pretty, but I didn’t like it. He said I was like a pretty doll. That’s what he called me if he was being nice. And sometimes when he said that I told him that I’m not a doll, I’m a person, and he just laughed. I didn’t really get it. And I don’t want to talk anymore.”

“I’m sure you don’t want to, but it’s important that you answer just a few more questions. How did it make you feel when he said that to you?”

“Gross,” she said flatly.

“Why did it make you feel gross?”

Wanda was starting to look very tired, “I don’t want to be a doll. I would have been anything but that. But I had to be.” 

“You don’t have to be anything.”

When he met her eyes, he was sure that it was taking every ounce of effort in her body not to cry again.

“Yes, I do.”

 

 

Bruce didn’t manage to wrangle a whole lot out of Wanda after that, although he did get her to take some deep breaths before they finished the session and she darted out to the common room again and practically threw herself into Clint’s arms.

“Aw, sweetheart,” he kissed her cheek, “How was it with Bruce?”

She bit her lip worriedly, “I can’t talk about it. Where’s Pietro?”

“Helping your mom with something,” he let her straddle his waist and lay her head on his chest. He stroked her hair gently,”I heard that you painted Steve’s nails.”

“We match now,” she said, putting her thumb in her mouth, “And we got ice cream. He said I need a friend.”

“Would you like a friend? Someone to play with?”

She shrugged, “I guess.” 

Clint wondered exactly how they should go about that. After doing some research, he had found that there were other adults out there who regressed into a childlike headspace at times. Wanda’s case was a little different, but close enough, and he was ready to try just about anything.

“You’re lonely, aren’t you?” he asked.

Wanda didn’t say anything but, “I love you. Don’t go. Promise.”

“Baby-”

“Just promise.”

Clint sighed and closed his eyes. She felt so small in his arms, quivering with fear and snuggling into his chest. He tried to remind himself that she was strong. She could fight.

Well, at this point, he was at least sure of the first part.

“I promise,” he whispered, “I won’t leave you. Don’t worry about that. Try not to stress yourself out, okay?”

“I try.”

“I know you do. And I get that it’s hard. Bruce helps a little bit, doesn’t he?”

Wanda shrugged, “I guess. He hates me.”

“No, he doesn’t. He likes you a lot.”

“He makes me cry. I’m sorry,” she whispered, “I know I’m disgusting.”

Clint shut his eyes tight, like that would make the pain of her words lessen, “No. You’re not. I swear, you are so beautiful. And you’re kind and loving and sweet, with one of the best hearts around. You’re not disgusting.”

Wanda started to cry again, “I want my brother.”

“I know, baby. I know.” Clint couldn’t help but feel just a little bit jealous of Pietro-not because of his relationship with Wanda, he’d never ever be upset about that. It was just that he always seemed to know just how to make her feel better. He remembered that one time that she had gotten sick and how much Pietro had done when he got back. How her eyes lit up as soon as she saw him and how he cuddled with her, and knew just what touches, what words could soothe her and make her stop crying. Either it was learned from so many years of them depending on each other, brother’s intuition, or both.

“He’s coming, sweetheart,” he said in a voice that people generally reserved for infants, “He’s coming, I promise. Can you tell me why you’re crying?”

“I miss him!” 

“That’s okay. He misses you too, but he will always come back to you. Do you want to go see what Thor’s doing until he’s here?”

Wanda nodded, even though she was still crying. Clint wanted to cradle her in his arms and carry her, but she walked and leaned on him heavily for support instead. Looking down, he noticed that her legs were shaking. She put one arm around him, hands grabbing at his shirt, and sucked her thumb with the other one. They moved slowly, and she stumbled a few times, but they were moving. That was something. If Wanda didn’t feel like walking (and it was less like she didn’t feel like it and more like her body shut down and wouldn’t support her when she tried) she usually just crawled or looked up at someone with her arms outstretched, as a signal to pick her up. _That_ was one thing Clint had gotten better at reading. If she was in bed and she did that, it meant _cuddle me_ , to which everyone almost always complied.

Thor was in his room, looking extremely bored over a very dull looking book that he was reading. As soon as he said, “come in” after Clint knocked and saw the two of them, he set it down, “Boring as anything. I’ve got to find something else to re-darling, what’s wrong?”

Clint looked rueful, “Pietro’s not here, and she had to talk to Bruce about the you know what.”

Thor walked over and picked Wanda up, “Hush now, my little star. It will be alright.”

“He’s gone,” she moaned, “He’s gone and he’s _never_ coming back.”

“He’s going to come back,” Thor said firmly, “You worry too much.”

“No, he’s not! I made him hate me!”

“Shhh,” he swayed a little, trying to soothe her with the motion, “Your brother loves you more than anything in the world. He could never hate you.”

Wanda blinked, and for a split second, her eyes flashed red, not in anger, but in fear. Thor murmured comfort to her and sang softly-that song about stars, Clint realized. It did seem to calm her down a little. Her body was no longer tense and struggling, and her tears had subsided a little bit. As soon as she had her eyes closed and her breathing had evened for a few minutes, Thor asked, “Should I put her in her room?”

“Yeah. I’ll stay with her.”

He stroked her hair and whispered, “The things I would do to that man if he were alive…”

“Yeah, well. Just think about letting her brother have a crack at him. It would probably make Tony’s horror movies look like they should be rated G.”

“I can’t say I wouldn’t support it,” he muttered. 

 

 

“Meow,” Wanda said later that evening.”

Natasha glanced over in confusion, “What’s that, honey?”

She looked up from the floor and meowed again, “I’m a cat.”

Natasha laughed and patted her head, “Well, you’re the cutest cat I’ve ever seen. More like a kitten, though.”

"If I’m a kitten, are you my mama cat?”

 Natasha got up from her chair and sat on the floor next to her daughter, pressing a kiss to her forehead, “I’m whatever you need me to be.”

Wanda curled up on Natasha’s lap and wrapped her arms around her upper body, “I love you, Mama.”

“I love you too, sweetheart.”

“Can I be a kitten princess?”

“A kitten princess?” she nuzzled her hair, “I’ve never heard of something like that.”

“Now you have,” Wanda leaned up and kissed Natasha’s cheek, “Can we play outside?”

“It’s raining, baby. I don’t want you to catch a cold,” she yawned, “We can do something else instead. You want to draw?”

She nodded, “Flowers and sparkles.”

“Sounds good to me, kid,” Natasha stood up and grabbed the paper and colored pencils from the shelf. They spoke to each other only occasionally for about forty minutes, and Natasha found herself deeply appreciating the rare, peaceful moment. Trying to keep her tone conversational, she asked, “You draw with Misty sometimes, don’t you?”

“She wants me to draw what I feel. It’s a lot of scribbles.”

“What about Bruce?”

“We do more talking,” Wanda started drawing a pink daisy, “I cry a lot. I think it bothers him.”

She reached over to squeeze her hand, “It doesn’t bother him. He wants you to feel happier, that’s all.”

“I don’t know if he loves me.”

Natasha was honestly not sure if he did either, but she let it slide. Wanda was so incredibly sensitive about how other people looked at her, and if she got the slightest inclination that everyone else thought Bruce might just be trying to be polite, the kid would probably have a breakdown.

“Mama loves you,” she said gently, “And I know that it’s scary to have to talk about it when something bad happened to you. Really, I do.”

Wanda looked at her fearfully, “I hate it. I hardly hate anything, but I can’t help that I do. Is that bad?”

“Not in the slightest. Whatever you’re feeling is okay.”

“It doesn’t feel okay.”

Natasha nodded at Lorna, who was sitting next to Wanda, “Lorna thinks it’s okay.”

“She’s just being polite.”

“Now she’s saying that’s totally not true.”

Wanda giggled, “What else does she say?”

She grinned, “She’s saying you have to cuddle with your mom.”

“I can do that!” she leaned over and cuddled up under Natasha’s arms, putting her thumb in her mouth. Natasha rocked her slowly back and forth, “I love you, malyutka.”

“Love you too,” she mumbled, eyelids drooping, “Can we play outside now?”

“No, silly. It’s almost time for bed, and I need to give you a bath first.”

“I’m too tired. Can we give hugs instead?”

She laughed, “I’ll give you lots of hugs after, I promise.”

Yawning, Wanda stood up on shaky legs, “It’s cold.”

“It’s October,” she laughed, “It’ll snow soon.”

“Snow is bad. It’s even colder, and sometimes it hurts people.”

Natasha realized that if it had ever snowed in Sokovia, Wanda and Pietro had probably felt the brunt of it since they had basically been homeless, “Well, let’s warm you up right now, okay?”

Pietro was usually the one who bathed Wanda, but Natasha had done it more than a few times. She hummed a little bit as she rubbed conditioner into her hair and washed it out, “This will go a lot quicker if you sit still.”

Wanda held her arms up, “Can we give hugs now?”

“Not yet. Are you still a kitten?”

She laughed, “Yes. But kittens don’t like water.”

“This one does,” Natasha pressed a quick kiss to her soapy hair, “And you’e supposed to listen to your mother cat.”

“Okay,” she she said looking somewhat lost in thought, “Mommy, I have a new friend.”

Natasha’s heart jumped and she froze in fear, “What?”

“Her name is Layla. She’s Sam’s girlfriend. I met her when he came yesterday.”

“Oh,” she sighed in relief, “Layla is very nice, isn’t she?”

“She played imaginations with me.”

“That was sweet,” Natasha fumbled for the right words, “Uh…I know the others have been talking about you having some trouble making friends.”

She looked a little sad, “I think people are scared of me. I don’t know why.”

“They’re aren’t scared of you. They just need to get to know you better, and then they’ll know that you can be a good friend.”

Natasha knew a little bit about how the girl was feeling. After she had defected to Shield, a good many of the other agents whispered about her, stared at her in the hallway, and jumped out of the way or left in a hurry whenever she entered a room. The famous Black Widow, cold blooded killer and monster. Clint had been her only friend.

People were definitely a little freaked out by the twins. If they found out about the House of M, they’d probably be even more terrified.

“You really think so?” Wanda said hopefully.

“Of course,” she said, regretting that they had started on the subject at all, “Okay, you can get out. And then you can give hugs, okay?”

“Okay,” Wanda made a face as she was toweled off. Natasha burst out laughing at her expression, “You look like an angry wet kitten.”

She giggled, “Meow.”

Natasha pulled a nightgown over the girl’s head and smoothed it out, “I’ll tell you a story before we go to sleep.”

“Can I say goodnight to Pietro?”

Now Natasha made a face, “He’s doing something with Clint.”

“What kind of something?”

“Something that you definitely do not need to know about.”

“Is it dangerous?”

“I _really_ hope not,” she rolled her eyes, “Go get in bed, sweetie. I’m gonna change and then I’ll be there in a minute.”

Wanda went to pick up Lorna and then curled up into a ball under the blankets. Natasha got in next to her and pulled her close, “I love you. My little kitten.”

“Love you too,” she murmured around her thumb, “And I loved you yesterday.”

“Love you still.”

“Always have.”

She kissed her forehead, “Always will.”

 

 

Pietro, Natasha, and Bruce all went with to Misty Knight’s office the next day. Wanda hung onto her brother and Natasha with both hands until she went in to see Doctor Knight. The woman smiled and welcomed her in, “No Lorna today?”

Wanda reached into her coat pocket and took her out, “She was cold.”

“Oh, I see. Why don’t you sit down? I noticed you brought a new friend with you. Is he the one who works with you at home?”

“Yeah. Bruce,” she sat on the couch.

“Can you update me on how that’s going?”

She shrugged, “Yesterday we talked.”

“About Von Strucker?” Misty prompted, “What about him?”

“He called me his doll,” she said flatly, “Can we do something else?”

“If we can talk about this a little bit right now, we can do something else later. He had other names for you? Was doll the only one?”

She pulled on her hair, “Sometimes he said other stuff. He said that I was his pretty pet once. What does that even mean?”

“He believed that he had ownership of you. Do you know what that means? It means that he felt like you were his to control. Did you ever feel like he was controlling you?”

“Yes. A lot. But he said that I liked it, and I didn’t. I really hated it. But if I _did_ like it, he wasn’t controlling, right?”

“No,” Misty said firmly, “That was another lie he told you. Only you know how you felt about what happened.”

“I felt gross and disgusting.”

“That’s perfectly normal and okay to feel, but I want you to know that there is nothing gross about you.”

Wanda rubbed at her eyes, “But I am! I make my brother upset, and my mommy, and my whole family!”

“Your family is not upset because of you,” Misty said gently, “They are upset because you were hurt, and they are angry at the person who did that to you. It is not your fault.”

“It was,” she whimpered, “I know it was.”

“How?”

“It just is!”

“If you can’t think of a reason, how could it be?”

“I don’t know!” she was starting to get another wild look in her eyes, “He said I was too pretty, and I’m not, but he said that if I looked like that, he had to! So it’s my fault.”

“No. It is not your fault. He violated you in a way that was very wrong. If someone hurts you like that, it is _never_ your fault.”

Wanda shook her head, “I don’t want to talk about it anymore.”

“Honey-”

“No! I can’t!”

Misty sighed, “That’s okay. Let’s take a deep breath.”

She clutched Lorna to her chest and sniffed, “I’m sorry, but I want to go home.”

“I know that you do. We still have some time left together, so we’re going to keep talking, okay? You can pick another thing to talk about if you want.”

“Kittens. I’m a kitten.”

“Are you?”

She shrugged, “Meow.”

Afterwards, Misty spoke quietly with Pietro and Natasha in her office while Wanda hung around the waiting room with Bruce. She pressed her face up against the fish tank in the center of the room, “Hi, little friends.”

Bruce smiled, “I think they like you.”

“Which one is your favorite? I think they’re all nice, but I really love the yellow one.”

“Hmm. I think I like that one too.”

“Do you think they get lonely in there?”

“Nah. They probably keep each other company.”

She studied them carefully, “There are no pink ones.”

“You know, there are pink dolphins in the Amazon River. Very light pink.”

She looked at him in amazement, “Really? Do you have pictures of them?”

“I can show you when we get home,” he smiled, “You sure like animals, huh? I should get Steve to take you to the zoo.”

“Is there a lot of animals there?”

“Lots.”

Behind them, Natasha cleared her throat, “Wanda, I was talking to Misty. Come here.”

Misty smiled gently, “Your mom and brother told me that you’re having trouble making friends.”

Wanda bit her lip, “Yeah.”

“Well, I have another patient of mine who I want you to meet. Come on.”

She led the four of them into another room that Wanda went into to do some “mind exercises” with Misty sometimes that was usually empty. Right now however, there was a man standing there, with wavy brown hair and sparkling blue eyes. He smiled at the group in front of them. Behind him was a girl who looked about Wanda’s age-maybe a little older. She had long red hair and wore a green and white dress. She was holding the man’s hand tightly, and looked a little nervous. Wanda couldn’t help but like her immediately.

“This is Jean,” Misty said, “I think you two will like each other.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *pssst wanda is an adorable baby kitten pass it on* 
> 
> Also, she bonded with Bruce more. Yay! He's probably gonna take her to the zoo, let's be honest. Well, Steve should probably go too. :)


	22. Chapter 22

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Many thanks to SoupShue who is always an ENORMOUS help in writing these chapters! <3

Pietro was absolutely sure that Jean was a godsend. She and Wanda adored each other and wanted to play together every chance they got. His sister seemed a little bit happier and always came back from Jean’s house full of chatter about all the things they had done together-apparently the kid was great at braiding hair, making bracelets, and loved princesses just as much. As far as anyone was concerned, it was a friendship match made in heaven.

Jean had two dads apparently, and Pietro had only met one of them. His name was Charles Xavier, and he taught psychology at a nearby college. Jean had been a student in his class and he had “adopted” her after he found out that she mentally regressed in age. He also had a husband named Erik who Pietro hadn’t met yet, but according to Charles, he was from Sokovia too.

Everyone was pretty happy on a particular day when Jean came over, since Clint had needed to leave on a mission that morning and Wanda had practically bawled her eyes out. Even when Jean came over to keep her company she seemed a little shaken up, but less hysterical.

“I hope Clint comes home soon,” Jean said as she strung together some flowers for a crown she was making, “I would miss my dads if one of them had to leave. Maybe you can make a crown for him.”

Wanda perked up a little, “That’s a good idea. Mommy, what flowers does Clint like?”

“Daisies,” Natasha winked at Pietro, “Remember that.”

“I don’t buy him flowers,” he rolled his eyes.

“You’re right. _He_ buys them for _you_.”

“I like flowers,” Jean said, “Roses. Which ones do you like?”

Wanda shrugged, “All. There’s a garden in the park and sometimes I go there and talk to them.”

“What do they say?”

“Lots of stuff. Laurie is my favorite though. She’s a daisy. You should meet her sometime!”

“That would be really fun,” she smiled, “I’ll ask my dads. You know, you have a _really_ big family. It’s just the three of us, but you have your brother and mom and dad, and Helen and Clint.”

“And Thor and Bruce and Tony,” Wanda added, “Thor sings me songs when I can’t sleep. Families do that, right?”

“Yeah. My dad does it. He sings stuff about a wonderful world.”

“Which one?”

“Charles. My other dad doesn’t sing really, but he tells stories,” she tied off the end of her crown and smiled, “There.”

“It’s pretty,” Wanda admired, “And we have four whole crowns!”

Jean giggled and leaned over to place it on the other girl’s head, “Now you’re a flower princess.”

“So are you,” she laughed as she did the same, “We should have a flower kingdom.”

“Okay, princesses,” Natasha cut in, “Say goodbye, I think that’s Jean’s dad at the door. You mind getting it, Pietro?”

He shook his head and flashed towards the door and pulled it open. The man outside of it was a little bit taller than Charles, and had a more serious expression on his face. Pietro squinted-there was something vaguely familiar about him, but he couldn’t put his finger on what it was. And for some strange reason, the man had done a double take at the sight of him, his mouth now hanging agape. Pietro tried to smooth it over and welcomed him in, “You must be Erik.”

“Indeed,” he seemed to have lost a little bit of his accent, but there were still traces of it there, “And you’re Wanda’s brother?”  
“Pietro. Nice to meet you.”

“Likewise,” even if his expression was more serious, his tone was friendly, “It’s certainly been a long time since I’ve talked to anyone from Sokovia. How long have you lived here?”

“Not even a year. What about you?”

“Twenty one years,” he shook his head, “I was one of the lucky few to gain passage out when things started getting really bad.”

Pietro tried to imagine himself twenty one years into the future, wondering if Sokovia would just be a distant memory to him then or if he would remember it as clearly as he did now, “Do you like it here?”

“I like it a lot more now that I have a family,” he said honestly as they walked into the common room. Jean leapt up and ran into his arms, “Hi, Daddy!”

“Hello, my angel,” he kissed her head, “Did you have fun?”

“Yes! We made cookies and flower crowns and Helen drew with us.”

“Sounds like a lovely time,” he looked at the others, “Thank you for looking after her.”

“Trust me, we appreciate her coming over,” Natasha said, “Wanda’s never had a friend like…well, like herself."

He nodded, “I know how hard it can be. Now come on, sweetheart, we’re going to go meet your dad at work.”

Jean hugged Wanda goodbye and said, “I’ll see you soon!”

“Promise?”

“I promise. And you can show me Laurie.”

As soon as they had peeled the girls off of each other and Jean and Erik had left, Wanda snuggled between Pietro and Natasha while they watched TV, “Isn’t Jean nice?”

“She is,” Pietro agreed, “I’m glad you have a friend.”

“Do you think Clint will like the flower crown I made him?”

“I know he will. And you can call him tonight,” he stroked her hair distractedly, “Natasha, did you think there was something a little familiar about Erik?”

“You too, huh?” she frowned, “Maybe he’s just got one of those faces, but I kept thinking I’d seen him somewhere before.”

Wanda, who hadn’t been paying attention to the conversation, tugged on Natasha’s shirt, “Mommy?”

“Yeah?”

“You and Helen should get married.”

Natasha burst out laughing, “Oh, you think so?”

“Yes, you really should. She wants you to ask her.”

“Did she say that?”

“No, but I can tell.”

Natasha was very sure that Wanda could tell, and if anyone was going to be able to telepathically get signals that somebody was waiting for a proposal, it was her.

She and Helen hadn’t been dating for very long-just about six months. Then again, Wanda had only been her daughter for six months, but it seemed like it had been that way forever. And Natasha wasn’t sure how the fuck you were supposed to tell that somebody was “the one”, there was something about Helen that definitely made her want to spend the rest of her life with her.

“In our line of work, the sooner the better,” Pietro said, “Get a move on, Romanov.”

“Maybe you’re right,” she shrugged, “I guess I’ve been too busy to think about it. But if it comes down to it, I’d really want to marry Helen.”

“So are you gonna ask her?”

Natasha leaned over to give her a kiss, “I’ll think about it, malyutka. Really, I will.”

 

 

“So, you had a hard time with Clint leaving today, huh?” Bruce tried his best to maintain eye contact with Wanda, who kept looking just about everywhere but his face, “Why is it scary for you when people leave?”

“It just is. Can he come back now? And I want to go see the flowers. Can we go see them? Is Clint going to come home soon?”

Bruce put a hand up, “Slow down. We’re going to talk about you, remember?”

“No, I don’t think we should do that,” she sighed, “Where’s Pietro?”

“You can see him when we’re done talking.”

“I have to see him _now.”_

“Why?”  
“I miss him!”

“Wanda, he’s just in the other room.”

“But-”

“I know it feels a little scary. Can you tell me why?”

“No.”

“Okay,” he tried to smile at her encouragingly, “That’s fine. Maybe we can talk about something else. Can you talk to me a little bit more about Hydra?”

“No,” she got up and started walking around, “I need my brother now.”

“You can see him after, but right now I need you to be brave and calm down a little bit. Just tell me one thing that maybe we haven’t talked about. Do you remember anything else that he said to you?”

“No,” she still wouldn’t sit down and was rocking back and forth on her heels. Bruce took her hand and set her on the ground while she made a movement towards him that he was pretty sure was an attempt at getting him to cuddle with her. He smiled a little and shook his head, “You can give hugs later, okay?”

Wanda’s voice was wavering, “I need my brother. And my mom and dad. And Thor!” she turned her head around towards the door in a panic, “Did he leave? What if he leaves me forever?”

“Calm down, it alright. Nobody is leaving you.”

“Clint did!”

“He’s coming back,” Bruce said firmly, “Try to focus. You’re safe.”

“No!”

“Can you tell me anything that happened? Do you want to talk about something else?”

Wanda started full on sobbing, “No, I can’t! I want my brother!”

Bruce put a hand on her shoulder, “It’s okay. Calm down.”

“ _Please!_ I have to see him!”

“I know you miss him. He misses you too and you can see him soon. But just because he’s not here right now doesn’t mean he’s stopped loving you,” he straightened his glasses, “Can we talk about Eva a little bit?”

“She’s my baby,” Wanda mumbled, “I’m her mama and I loved her, but I didn’t enough, and that’s why she didn’t want to be my baby anymore.”

“Remember, it wasn’t your fault. Why do you think you didn’t love her enough?”

Her lip quivered, “One of the guards said if I loved her more she would have stayed.”

“Wanda,” Bruce leaned forward, “Neither you or her could have stopped what happened. It had nothing to do with how much you loved her.”

“Yes it did. They told me.”

“Why do you believe them?”

“I don’t know!”

Bruce reached a hand out to her and she screamed, jerking away, “Don’t hit me! _Please_ don’t hit me!”

“Hey, I’m not going to hit you. I want to help you.”

Wanda clutched at her chest, threw her head back and shrieked. Before Bruce could do anything else, Thor had pushed the door open and was shouting at him.

“Calm down,” he told the god, “If you yell, you’re going to scare her.”

“As if she’s not already? I could hear her from out there!”

“I know. I think she needs to take a break. It’s just not a good day for her.”

Thor knelt next to Wanda and picked her up, “Darling, it’s alright. Everything is fine. You want your brother?”

“Yes,” she sobbed, “Please, I need to see him.”

“I’ll take you, sweetheart. It’s okay, I promise. Don’t cry,” he looked at Bruce, “Try again tomorrow?”

“Yeah, we’ll give it another shot,” he patted Wanda’s shoulder, “Go see your brother, okay?”

 

Wanda lay in her brother’s arms, no longer screaming, but her body was still shaking with sobs. Pietro held her close and stroked her hair, “You just didn’t want to talk today, huh?”

“No. I wanted to be with you.”

“That’s okay, baby. Don’t cry, okay? You’re safe. I won’t let anything happen to you.”

“No, we’re not,” she looked towards the door, “I think he’s going to come hurt you.”

“Wanda, he’s dead. Nobody’s coming for either of us.”

She snuggled closer to him, “I’m sorry.”

“You have nothing to be sorry for. Why didn’t you feel like talking today?”

Wanda didn’t answer and just buried her face in his chest until she looked up when Natasha came in and lay down next to them, “Hey, malyutka. Did you have a hard day?”

“I was bad.”

“No, you’re never bad. You can try again tomorrow.”

“I want to stay with you forever.”

“I know, baby. I love you so much. We all do.”

“I really love you,” Wanda said softly, “I don’t want you to both go away.”

“We won’t leave you,” Pietro said gently, “I promise, sweetheart.”

Wanda let Natasha’s arms encircle her as well, and felt the older woman press her lips to the back of her head. There was a beautiful, sweet silence in the room for about fifteen minutes until Wanda spoke up again.

“I think I might feel like talking now.”

Pietro resisted the urge to sit straight up, “You do?”  
“Yes. But just to you right now. Can I tell you about Eva? I miss her.”

Natasha met his eyes and they exchanged a questioning look. Pietro had no idea why Wanda suddenly felt like talking, but it was probably best not to discourage it. He squeezed her hand, “I’m sure she was wonderful.”

“You would have liked her. Sometimes I feel like we can still talk. Well, she can’t talk because she’s a baby, but I talk to her. And I love her.”

“I know you do.”

“I sang to her sometimes because she would kick me at night and I thought she should sleep.”

Natasha smiled, “You were a good mom, Wanda. You were a _really_ good mom.”

“Not as good as you.”

“No, even better.”

Wanda’s frowned, “You’re the best mommy ever.”

“I appreciate that, malyutka.”

“I don’t want to talk about it anymore,” she said decidedly, “Can we stop?”

Pietro nodded, “We can stop. Do you want to watch a movie?”

She nodded, “Elsa.”

He groaned, “Not that song again.”

Natasha poked him, “We’ve all heard you sing it.”

“Well, it’s kind of hard not to let it get stuck in your head after you’ve heard it a billion times.”

Wanda looked up at him, “Please?”

Those big green eyes were definitely going to be the death of him. 

 

Sometime in the middle of the movie, Clint called to give an update. Natasha got up to talk to him for a bit before handing off the phone to Pietro. Their conversation wasn’t as long, so he handed the phone to Wanda after just five minutes.

“Hello?”

“Hey, sweetheart,” Clint said, “I heard you had a rough day.”

“Kinda. But Jean came to play with me this morning and it was really fun. I made you a present for when you get home.”

“Yeah? What is it?”

She giggled, “It’s a surprise. But it has flowers on it.”

“Well, I guess I’ll find out when I get there. I miss you.”

“I miss you too. When are you coming home?”

“Tomorrow night, I hope. It’s lonely over here without all of you, so I need a lot of hugs when I get back, okay?”

“I can do that,” she said seriously, “I promise. Lorna will give you hugs too.”

“I’m counting on it,” he laughed, “Are you making your brother watch Frozen again?”  
“Yes! It’s really, really fun. But I wish you were here.”

“Aw, I know. I wish I was with you too. But I’ll be home soon, okay?”

“Okay.”

“I have to go now, but I’ll see you soon. I love you, princess.”

“I love you too,” she felt a lump in her throat the way she always did when she had to say goodbye to someone, but she didn’t let the tears spill over, “Promise you’ll come home?”

“I promise.”


	23. Chapter 23

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AO3 is acting up, and there's three areas where there's a weird spacing issue. Sorry about that.  
> This starts out as fluffy (AKA Wanda and Jean at the zoo being adorable friends) but be warned, we get into talk about the abuse and there's a brief flashback to it at the very end.

“That’s a really big cat.”

“She’s a tiger,” Wanda read off the information plaque attached to the railing, “Her name is Greer.”

“She’s cute!” Jean stood on her toes, “Daddy, can I have a tiger?”

Charles laughed, “Aren’t you afraid it would eat you?”

“I’m not afraid of anything,” she told him, “Except for spiders.”

He ruffled her hair, “I’m afraid you still can’t have a tiger. We don’t have a big enough house.”

“Oh, yeah. I guess she wouldn’t fit. We could get a smaller cat though.”

Charles rolled his eyes, “I’ll think about it.”

Jean groaned and looked at Wanda, “I’ll think about it means no. Hey, your house is bigger! Maybe you could have a tiger.”

Wanda looked at Pietro, “Can we have one?”

“No. We already have Tony and Thor.”

She and Jean both laughed as they went with Charles to look at something else. Pietro trailed behind with Erik at his side, making for a very uncomfortable silence between the two. Pietro remembered how incredibly awkward their last meeting had been and hoped that this time would be different. He tried to make conversation, “You know, Jean has been great for Wanda.”

“Well, I’m glad that I can say the same for Jean. Ever since her friend passed away last year, she’s had such a hard time.”

“When did you adopt her?”

“About three years ago. Right when she started college.”

“What happened to her other parents?”

He shrugged, “They call or visit on occasion. I think they’ve always been a bit neglectful, so we try to give her as much love as we can. I’m sure you understand.”

“Yeah, I do,” even though Pietro had always doted on Wanda, she had definitely been starved for parental affection, which was why she could be particularly clingy with Natasha and Steve, “She really seems to love you.”

“You think so?” a very strange look came over Erik’s face, something almost hopeful, or like he needed reassurance, which from what Pietro knew of the man, was very out of character, “It seems to come so easily to Charles. I try, but I’m always afraid I don’t do well enough.”

“I know what you mean. But I think you’re doing great.”

“Well, that means a lot to me,” he looked down, “I never got the chance to-”  
Pietro felt Natasha tap him on the shoulder. She had been walked a few feet behind while talking to Clint on the phone. She held it out, “He wants to talk to you.”

“Is he okay?”

“Yeah, it’s fine.”

Pietro watched her walk side by side with Erik and held the phone up to his ear, “Hello?”

“Hey, loser,” Clint sounded tired, “How’s it going?”

“Are you alright? What’s going on?”

“Calm down. Everything’s fine. Turns out that this mission might take a little bit longer than I thought. Just some idiots trying to make themselves the next Hydra.”

“You’re going to be gone? How long?”

“A few more days. How is she?”

“Fine. Really well, actually. I’ll tell her later, I don’t want to work her up now.”

“Good plan. Nat said you’re at the zoo, right?”

“Yeah. It’s nice, and I’m glad that Wanda has a friend. But her father is weird.”

“Weird like how?”

“I don’t really know. I feel like he’s always staring at me or her. Not even in a creepy way, I just can’t figure out what it is.”

“Maybe you guys just remind him of home or something.”

“Yeah, that’s probably it,” he said half heartedly, “I miss you.”

“I miss you too. God, I just want to pin you down and-“

“Clint, I’m in public and surrounded by families.”

He laughed, “Yeah, alright. I’ll try to call later.”

“Okay. See you in a few days.”

He found the others by a pool of seals, where Natasha and Erik were chatting away. Pietro squinted. The other man didn’t seem to have a problem talking to her.

“Look!” Wanda grabbed his hand, snapping him out of his thoughts, “They’re so cute! I love them.”

“Not as cute as you,” he smoothed back a few stray hairs that had fallen out of her ponytails and into her face, “Yep, you’re definitely the cutest.”

She laughed, “No, you’re the cutest!”

He pretended to look offended, “I’m not cute. I’m terrifying.”

“Are not. Was Clint on the phone? Is he coming home?”

Pietro bit his lip, “He’ll be home…soon.”

Wanda seemed to accept that and ran off to play with Jean again, who grabbed her hand tightly, “Let’s go see the butterfly house!”

“There’s a house with butterflies?”

“Yeah!” she started running, pulling the other girl along with her, “I’ll show you!”   
  


 

The blue ones were the best. Wanda reached a finger out and lightly brushed the wing of one of them before it flew off with its friends. 

“I love butterflies,” Jean said happily, “Don’t you?”  “Yes,” she paused and let her hand fall to her side. The butterflies were fluttering their wings so fast they were a blur, floating and dancing around her until it was almost too much. There were cocoons visible nearby, where new ones would soon be born. Little caterpillars turned into big, sweeping, butterflies. For some reason, Wanda felt like crying. She blinked back tears and rubbed at her eyes with her fist. Jean noticed and put an arm around her, “You want me to get your mom?”

“No,” she mumbled, staring at the ground, “I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay. Why are you sad?”

“I feel gross again.”

“You’re not gross. You’re beautiful, like a princess.”

Wanda shook her head, “Jean? Do you think I’m good? Like a really good girl?”

“Of course you are. Why?”

“I don’t know. Never mind,” she took a deep breath, trying to push her feelings back, “Don’t tell my brother or my mom I was upset, okay? I don’t want to get in trouble.”

“They won’t get mad at you.”

“Maybe they will.”

Jean patted her shoulder, “They wouldn’t. But I promise, I won’t tell.”

“Thanks,” she smiled a little bit, “I’m glad you came with today.”

“Me too. Come on, I want to be a butterfly!”

Wanda laughed and ran along with her, “Can I be a blue one?”

“Sure!” she squeezed her hand,  “And I’ll be a yellow one.”

She looked upwards, “We should fly to a castle.”

“A really magic one,” Jean agreed, “We can be princesses. I’ll be Ariel because of the hair. Who do you want to be?”

“Cinderella. I wish I looked like her.”

“You have a fairy godmother,” she laughed, “And he loves you.”

“You think so?”

“I really, really do.”

Before Wanda could respond, Natasha finally caught up with them, “There you are! Don’t run off like that, girls.”

“Sorry,” she said, “I forgot.”

“Aw, don’t worry about it, hon. It would just be a bad thing if we lost you guys. What would I tell your dad?”  
  
“You’d tell him that flew away because I was a butterfly.”

Natasha kissed the top of her head, “I hope you don’t fly away, malyutka. We’d miss you too much. And Jean’s dads would miss her too.”

“You can come with,” Jean told her, “What color butterfly are you?”

“Hmm. How about orange?”

“Like a monarch!”

“That’s right,” she smiled, “You’re some very smart princesses.”

“Your dad is really smart,” Wanda told Jean, “He’s a teacher.”

“I know,” she nodded wisely, “He teaches psychologicy.”

Natasha burst out laughing, “I think the word you’re looking for is psychology.”

Jean laughed, “I knew that.”

“Sure you did.”

“Okay, I didn’t, but it’s a big word! It’s bigger than me,” she squinted at Wanda, “It’s way bigger than you, but you’re really little.”  
Wanda did stand the shortest among every other member of her family, and by a bit of a long shot too. Jean was a little bit taller than her, but if she stood on her toes, they were the same height, “Now it’s the same size as us.”

“And we’re the same sized butterfly.”

Natasha put her hands on their shoulders, “Come on, butterflies. Let’s go eat.”  
  
  
  


“Wanda,” Bruce said, “Can you tell me about this?”  
  
She glanced at the drawing he was holding out. She had made it just a few minutes ago and it was already cause for concern “It’s in my head.”  
  
It really looked like a lot of brightly colored scribbles, maybe with some attempts at writing in there too, but it was too ingrained in the midst of brightly colored swirls to make out.  
  
“Do you feel like this all the time?” 

“Sometimes it’s even bigger.”  
  
“Bigger like how?”  
  
She waved her hands in sweeping, circular motion, “Just bigger. I saw butterflies at the zoo today.”  
  
“Oh yeah? That sounds fun.”  
  
“I was a blue one. I flew really far.”  
  
He smiled, “I’m sure you did.”  
  
“I want to fly.”  
  
“You can,” he pointed out. Technically, Wanda could fly, but she hardly ever focused on it enough to levitate more than a few feet off the ground. She shook her head, “I want wings. Like Sam, but more like a fairy.”  
  
“Well, maybe one day you can,” he humored her, “Hey, can we talk a little bit more about what you drew? You seem to have a lot going on in your head. Is it good or bad?”  
  
“Bad,” she said loudly, then, under her breath so he couldn’t hear her, “And I’m a bad girl.”  
  
“Why is it bad?”  
  
“It just is.”  
  
“Is what happened to you in here? Is that bad?”  
  
Wanda looked confused, “I…I don’t know. Eva was good.”  
  
“Of course she was. But what about Von Strucker?”  
  
She still seemed bewildered, “I think it’s bad. He said I’m a bad girl.”  
  
“Did he say that when he touched you?”  
  
“I…” she bit her lip and wrapped her arms around herself, “He was touching me but he did something else too.”  
  
“What was it?”  
  
“I don’t know! It hurt me.”  
  
“Did he say anything else?”  
  
Wanda didn’t speak, but she did put her thumb in her mouth and clutch Lorna to her chest. Bruce felt a little pang go through his heart, but before he could offer any words of comfort, the girl had started crying. He moved to put an arm around her shoulder, “Why are you crying?”  
  
“I don’t want to talk.”  
  
“Do you want to talk about something else?”  
  
“I want my brother!” 

“If I get him will you talk to me?”  
  
She looked horrified, “No! I can’t tell him! He won’t love me!”  
  
“Wanda, that’s not true. He loves you, and that won’t change.”  
  
She didn’t rub at her eyes to stop the tears from falling, “He’s gonna hate me. I was really bad.”  
  
“What did you do that was really bad?”  
  
“I cried when he got angry.”  
  
“Von Strucker? Was it scary when he got mad?”  

Wanda didn’t say anything for a few minutes again. Bruce kept his arm around her. Despite everything he had gone through with her, physical contact did feel a little weird. The others seemed to take it completely in their stride to cuddle her, but he wasn’t quite there yet. Still, Wanda responded really well to physical affection, and he couldn’t just ignore that.  
  
“He hit me,” she said finally, “He hit me really hard. He said it was so I would learn to be good, because it was only when I didn’t listen. And I cried so much, especially when he hit with stuff.”  
  
“What kind of stuff?”  
  
She chewed her lip, “Belt, lots of times.”

Bruce couldn’t help but cringe, “He hit you with a belt? Why?”  
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     

Wanda looked a little impatient, “Because I cried. I have to stop.”

“Are you sure you need to stop? Do you just need a break?”  
  
“No,” she shook her head, “I need to go now.”  
  
“Okay. Let’s go find your mommy, ” Bruce helped her up, “You did such a great job today, Wanda.”  
  
“I have to go now,” she repeated, the words growing more frantic, “Where are they?”  
  
He kept a firm hold on her hand as he led her out of the room, “Deep breaths, alright? We’re going to see them.”  
  
“No, no. I have to see them now.”  
  
“I know, honey. Everything’s fine, you’re safe. Just breathe.”  
  
Wanda still seemed a bit erratic and nervous even when she ran into Natasha’s arms, “I have to hide, Mama.”  
  
She stroked her hair gently, “Why?”  
  
“I just do. I want to hide. I have to-”  
  
“Calm down, malyutka. Are you feeling scared right now?”

  “I’m sorry,” she whispered, “I know I’m sick and awful, I’m _so horrible_ , Mommy, please don’t hate me, I’m sorry.”  
  
“Baby girl, you’re not horrible. You make me so happy. I love you,” she kissed her forehead, “I think you need to take a nap, it’s been a long day.”  
  
She sniffed, “I don’t want to sleep.”  
  
Bruce interjected, “Maybe Thor can sing to you. That helps, right? And I’m sure your mom or your brother will lie down with you too.”  
  
“That’s a good idea,” Natasha agreed, “He’s in the common room. Go find him, sweetheart.”  
  
Bruce couldn’t help but notice that Wanda’s steps were shaky and unbalanced, to the point that her mother ended up holding onto her so she didn’t fall. As soon as the girl was in Thor’s arms, Natasha asked Bruce quietly, “So she talked to you?” 

“She’s making a lot of progress,” he motioned for her to sit down, “I think she’s still scared that you’re going to hate her, though. Von Strucker was gifted at mental conditioning and manipulation, I’ll give him that much.”  
  
“I thought you weren’t that kind of doctor,” she smirked.  
  
“No,” he shrugged, “But I can tell. And maybe I’ve helped her. Do you really think she’d talk about it if someone didn’t make her? We probably never would have found out that it happened at all if Tony hadn’t pulled those files.”  
  
“I know. That scares me,” she chewed her lip, “Look, can I ask you a stupid question that’s going to make me sound super insecure?”  
  
He laughed, “Sure.”  
  
“Am I a good mother? Do you think I do enough for her?”  
  
Bruce looked surprised, “I think everyone knows that you’re a fantastic mother.”  
  
“She seems so unhappy. I try, but-”  
  
“Wanda is scared and hurt and confused. It’s not something you fix overnight, but that doesn’t mean she loves you any less.”  
  
“I just want to give her a nice, normal home. Everything normal kids get. Everything _I_ never had.”  
  
“Natasha, I’m pretty sure she doesn’t care about that. Trust me, after spending so much time with that girl, I can personally guarantee that she only cares that her mommy is there with her. You help make her happy just by existing.”  
  
“Well, I’ve definitely never had someone say that to me before.”  
  
“Well, now you can. Look, she made big changes for all of us, but they’re not bad changes. She’s probably the best thing I’ve ever seen happen to you.”  
  
Natasha looked over at Thor in the corner of the room, who finally had Wanda asleep in his arms.  
  
Maybe she’d wake up crying again.  
  
Natasha let her fist unclench, only just then realizing that she’d had it like that for the entire conversation.  
  
  
  


 

Thankfully, Wanda did not wake up crying. She apparently held off the waterworks until Pietro and Natasha gently tried to break the news to her that Clint wasn’t coming home that day, upon which she burst into hysterics.  
  
“I made him leave! He’s mad at me and he’s gonna leave forever!” she buried her face in her hands, “I made him leave, I’m so awful and he hates me!”  
  
Pietro let his arms enfold around her as he pulled her onto his lap, “Baby, it’s work, that’s all. He didn’t leave because of you. And he’ll be back soon,” he glanced at Natasha, “Right?”  
  
“Right. I promise, sweetheart,” she kissed Wanda’s cheek, “He’s gonna come back, just a little later.”  
  
“What if he doesn’t? What if something bad happens?”  
  
“He will,” she said firmly, moving so she could put her arms around her daughter too, “And I promise that we’ll all be together.”  
  
“I don’t want you to leave too.”  
  
“Oh, baby girl. Mommy’s right here, okay? I’m not leaving you.”  
  
“Never ever?”  
  
“Never ever.”  
  
Fucking promises you can’t keep.  
  
“I’m sorry,” Wanda mumbled, “Sorry for crying.”  
  
“Don’t be sorry,”  they said at the same time. Natasha quickly added, “Don’t be sorry for how you’re feeling, malyutka.”  
  
“Big girls aren’t supposed to cry.”

“Well, it’s a good thing you’re little then, isn’t it?” she kissed her forehead, “Come on, sweetheart. We can watch a movie until dinner if you want.”  
“Rapunzel?”  
  
“Sounds good to me.”  
  
Pietro helped her up and brushed some hair out of her face. Wanda leaned into his arms again, “I love you.”  
  
He smiled, “I love you too.”  
  
  
  
  
_Six. Seven. Eight. Nine. Ten-_  
  
_“What the hell is wrong with you?” Von Strucker hissed, “I told you to count.”_  
  
_She hadn’t realized that she’d just been thinking the numbers. Wanda shut her eyes tight, “Eleven.”_  
  
_The belt hit her hard once again and she barely managed to choke out “twelve” through her tears. When he forced her on her back again she cried out as her bruised skin connected with the the stone floor. Von Strucker slapped her face, “Stop crying, child. There’s no reason to cry.”_  
  
_Wanda was terrible at keeping her emotions in check, and that wasn’t going to change, even for Von Strucker. The tears kept falling as she tried to arch her body out from under him and he pinned her hands above her head._  
  
_“I don’t like having to punish you,” he purred, his tone completely different than it had been a few minutes ago, “I do this for your own good, don’t you know that? I’m so sure you don’t want to be awful and selfish. Don’t you want to be good?” ____“I try,” she fumbled for the words, “I can be good-”_  
  
_“But you’re not. You’re a very bad girl,” his breath felt hot on her face as he leaned in closer before pulling back and slapping her again, “Repeat that to me.”_  
  
_Wanda didn’t shut her eyes, as much as she wanted to. He’d probably hit her again if she did._  
  
_“I….” she swallowed hard, “I’m a bad girl.”_  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the lateish update, I've been busy the last few days. However, I have started a new oneshots series in this verse, where I will basically fill prompts or just write whatever my imagination wants me to write! :) I'm working on one that was suggested by Winchesters-in-the-Glade right now, but if you guys have anything you'd like to see in this verse, let me know there! It should be under series in my profile. :)


	24. Chapter 24

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yet another thing I wrote in the middle of the night. Basically the entire thing is Clint and Wanda because I was in the mood to write fluff for them.  
> Oh yeah! Clint is back! :D

  
Misty Knight definitely knew what she was doing. No matter how opposed he had been to sending Wanda to a therapist at one point, Pietro was now eternally grateful for the woman.

Unfortunately, like the rest of them, Misty could not make Wanda talk if she didn’t want to, even if Jean was there. The girls had conducted a few therapy sessions together since they started being friends, and even though Jean had days when she didn’t feel like talking about what had happened, she never refused to say anything at all. Wanda on the other hand, sometimes went entire days without saying a single word.

Thankfully, Jean seemed to understand. She talked to Wanda anyways, not really caring if she said anything back, “Hey, next time you come to my house we should make more cookies, okay?”  
Wanda smiled a little and nodded. She was pretty docile at the moment, which was a relief, because even if she had days when she chose not to talk, she could really scream if she wanted to. It probably had something to do with the fact that Misty had let her sit in Clint’s lap during the session that day. He had gotten home two days ago, and Wanda had been incredibly clingy with him. 

“Wanda missed you,” Jean informed him, “She told me. Remember?”

She nodded again, her eyes roaming around the room until they focused on one spot on the ceiling. Misty smiled gently at her, “Do you see something up there?”

Clint squinted. The ceiling seemed pretty boring to him. But then again, Wanda had a ton of imaginary friends that showed up in the strangest of places. He kissed her cheek, “Sure you don’t want to talk today?”

Wanda’s eyes widened and her hand immediately went to yank hard on her hair. Misty reached out to move it back, “No, sweetie. That hurts you, remember?”

Clint was pretty sure that she didn’t, “Sometimes I wonder if she can even hear us.”

“She can,” Misty told him, “Although I think her brain is interpreting it in a very different way. She’s so stuck in her own mind that we might just be background noise.”

“Wanda,” Clint said a little louder. She turned to look up at him, blinked twice fast, and hid her face in his shoulder.

“She’s tired,” Jean said wisely.

“How do you know?”

“I hug my dads when I’m tired.”

“She probably does need a nap,” Clint stroked her hair, “But you need to stay awake now, sweetheart.”

“We can end it for today,” Misty said, “I think Jean needs a break too.”

“Do not! I’m awake,” she opened her eyes wide, “Really, I am.”

Erik, who had been quiet throughout the whole session, other than asking a few very uncomfortable questions about Clint’s relationship with Pietro, finally laughed and helped his daughter up,

“Sure, I believe that. Say goodbye, darling.”

“Bye!” Jean blew a kiss, “See you soon!”

Wanda looked up long enough to wave back before hiding again. Clint usually avoided carrying her in public, so he put her on her feet and wrapped an arm around her to steady her, “Come on, princess. Do you want to take what you were drawing home?”

Wanda shook her head as Clint picked it up, noticing that some parts of what she had drawn looked vaguely familiar, “Is this your House of M again?”

She nodded as Jean said, “Hey, I get it! House of M, like Maximoff.”

Clint smiled at her, “I thought that’s what it was, but I think she told me once that the M is for Magnus, whoever that is.”

Erik’s phone clattered to the floor and he let out a strangled kind of gasp, causing everyone to look at him strangely. 

“Are you alright?” Misty asked.

Erik stood frozen, looking almost terrified. His eyes fixated on Wanda as he knelt to pick his phone up and stuttered out, “Y-yes. Fine. Come on, Jean.”

She looked mildly confused as he pulled her by the hand out the door, and Clint couldn’t blame her. Pietro hadn’t been exaggerating when he said that the guy was weird. 

“Strange,” Misty stared at the door, “Well, maybe he’s just having a stressful day.”

“Yeah. We’ve all got those.”

“Wanda did try really hard today. I think she’s trying to make you happy. I’m sure it’s frustrating when she doesn’t want to talk, but to be honest Clint, she just doesn’t see it the way everyone else does.”

“I know,” he leaned in closer and lowered his voice, “My ex boss thinks she needs to be in a mental institution.” 

“What do you think?”

Clint looked at Wanda, who was looking wildly around the room again. He squeezed her hand, “I think the best place for her is at home.”

“My professional opinion is that you’re right. She loves you, and you all really do a great job of taking care of her.”

“What if she does need to go somewhere one day?” he tried to keep it vague.

“Let’s not think about that until we need to.”  
  


 

Pietro had gone over some very basic rules with Clint when it came to taking Wanda into a store. Grab her, do not let go, get what you need with no distractions, and get her out as fast as you can.

Unfortunately, even the most foolproof methods were subject to fail at some point. Clint needed to stop by a store to pick up a few things and Wanda scratched at her skin and yanked her hair the entire time, earning the two of them either strange or sympathetic looks from passerby. One woman clicked her tongue and muttered, “I’m so sorry.”

Clint tried not to glare at her, “We’re fine. Wanda, stop that right now.”

He wasn’t sure if she just felt like being disobedient or if she really just wasn’t registering what he was saying, but either way, she kept at it. Clint grabbed her hand and held it firmly, “No.”

She whimpered a little bit and he could sense that there were definitely tears coming on, even when she put her thumb in her mouth, something that usually acted as a source of comfort.

Before Clint could tell her to stop yet again, his phone rang and he let go of her hand to answer it, “Not a good time, Nat.”

“How’d it go?”

“Fine, I guess. She still wouldn’t talk. I’ll have her try it with Bruce when we get home after she takes a nap. She almost fell asleep.”

Natasha sighed, “She wouldn’t sleep last night, again. Too afraid of the nightmares. We’ll have to try to see if she’ll at least take a nap. But I’ll tell Bruce.”

“Yeah, good idea. Hey, I met the other kid’s dad. Erik.”

“Oh yeah? What did you think of him?”

“Um, he was super weird. He asked me all these questions about my relationship, and I think he wanted to know about my sex life.”

She started laughing, “I’m sure Pietro is gonna be so thrilled to hear that.” 

“It was creepy. And I don’t even know if he likes Wanda that much, he’s kinda jittery around her.”

“I don’t know, Clint, maybe he’s just socially awkward. But at least Jean and Wanda have been good for each other.”

“Yeah, I guess that’s what matters. Weird coincidence that he’s from Sokovia too, huh?”

“Small world, I guess,” Clint heard the sounds of someone in the background saying something and Natasha calling back before saying, “Gotta go. See you soon.”

“Yep,” he hung up and turned, “Okay, honey. Let’s’-”

_No. Oh, fuck no._

Clint shut his eyes. 

He had totally thought that if anyone was going to lose Wanda in a store, it was Tony.  
  
  
Wanda didn’t know if Clint saw Von Strucker in the store, but she had. She had seen him, and it had taken all of her strength not to cry, but she didn’t want to be bad. She really didn’t want to be bad, so she ran instead. Away from him, away from everything.  
The parking lot outside the store was crowded, and it was too much. Clint had to be close enough, though didn’t he? She had gone far, but not too far. She reached her hand out behind her, expecting him to catch it, but it wasn’t there. Turning around frantically, Wanda realized that she actually was alone. 

_you’re alone he left you because he hates you and you’re worthless and disgusting and awful he’s never coming back because you are a bad bad bad girl_  
  
Wanda’s heart was racing. Her hands started yanking on her hair even more violently than usual, although everyone else seemed to wrapped up in their daily activities to notice.  
What if Von Strucker found her? What if he hurt Clint?  
  
_he’s going to hurt everyone and it’s all your fault you worthless freak_  
  
Wanda started running again. A few people yelled at her and that was scary, but she couldn’t stop. Even if Clint didn’t want her anymore, she had to protect him. She shut her eyes and tried to think where they had been a few minutes ago. In the store? Maybe it had been somewhere else. She didn’t remember.  
  
_remember wanda, you’re so stupid. you can’t do anything._  
  
He was gone. Everyone she loved was gone. They hated her. Wanda stopped running and fell to the ground, heaving sobs.  
  
_you’re going to die hes going to come and kill you and nobody’s going to care because you’re worthless and horrible and awful and disgusting. you’re a bad bad girl and you’re going to get punished and you deserve it-_  
  
“Hey, are you okay?”  
  
Someone was talking to her. Wanda shut her eyes.  
  
He was probably working with Von Strucker. He was going to hurt her and she was too afraid to move.  
  
_do something hit him hit him no let him punish you_  
_be a good girl._  
_only bad girls cry._

“Miss?” someone was touching her shoulder gently, “Can I help you?”  
  
Another voice, a woman’s, “Are you hurt?”  
  
Wanda looked up slowly. The man touching her shoulder was young, and he didn’t look mean. Neither did the girl, who was kneeling down next to him. She offered Wanda a smile, “Can we do something for you?”  
  
She shook her head.  
  
“Okay. Maybe we can help you get to your car?”  
  
_talk you stupid girl. you’re so dumb. that’s why everyone hates you. talk._  
  
Wanda opened her mouth and only ended up making a noise that was some combination of a whimper and a mew. The man looked at the woman, confused. She shrugged and tried again, “Can we call someone for you? Or are you with somebody?”  
  
She had been with Clint. Clint who hated her and had left her forever. Wanda started sobbing again and started scratching at her arms until there was a streak of red going down one of them. The guy blanched, “Oh my God! Should we call 911?”  
  
“No, she probably has a caretaker or family member around here,” the girl told him. She spoke to Wanda loud and clear, “Hey, I’m Susan. This is my brother, Johnny. Is there someone we can get who can help you?”  
  
_he’s in the store you stupid girl. store._  
  
Clint didn’t want her anymore, and she knew he hated her, but she needed him. He’d hate her if she saw him again. He might even punish her, and she knew she deserved it, but it was still scary. Too scary.  
  
“Sweetie, are you all by yourself?”

Wanda shook her head. Even if Clint hated her now, he had come with her.  
  
“Do you have a friend with you somewhere?”  
  
_he’s gonna hit you you’re gonna get hit stupid girl_  
  
Wanda pointed towards the store, immediately regretting it. Now they might find Clint and he’d yell at her.  
  
“In there? Okay, let’s go look,” Susan helped her up, only to find that she almost immediately collapsed, “Whoa. Alright. Just hold on to me, okay?”  
  
“You sure this doesn’t make us look like kidnappers?”  
  
“Well we can’t just leave her crying in the parking lot. Good thing we parked our car right there,” she looked at Wanda again, who was still crying, “Hey, can you maybe tell me your name? Or the name of your friend?”  
  
She made a noise that she hoped translated to no. Susan seemed to accept this and didn’t ask any more questions until they reached the store entrance, where Wanda suddenly heard Clint yelling her name.  
  
_he’s yelling at you. he hates you. you’re such a bad girl._  
  
He engulfed her in a tight hug for a few seconds before pulling back, “Don’t you ever do that to me again, do you understand? You can’t run off like that, sweetheart. I thought something had happened to you.”  
  
He didn’t seem mad. Wanda wondered why-she deserved to have him angry with her. Still, she felt much safer now that Clint was there. She hugged him again, hiding her face in his chest.  
  
“She was crying in the parking lot,” Johnny said, “Are you her family?”  
  
“Kinda. I’m dating her brother.”  
  
“Oh. Is she okay?”  
  
“I should take her home. Thank you so much for your help, guys.”  
  
“No problem,” Susan smiled, “I hope she feels better.”  
  
“Yeah. Me too.”  
  
  


Wanda didn’t make any kind of noise the entire way home, and still kept silent when they got home, where Natasha immediately started shouting at Clint.  
  
“How could you lose her?” she yelled, “You cannot let her out of your sight, Clint!”  
  
“I know that! I looked away for like, two seconds and she just ran.”  
  
“Why would she run?”  
  
“I don’t know. I think she was scared. Where’s Pietro?”  
  
“With Helen. I didn’t tell him that you lost the center of his universe.”  
  
“Thanks. I owe you.”  
  
“Yeah, you do. Honey, are you okay?”  
  
Wanda clung to Clint tightly, her eyes fixated on the ground. She seemed limp and exhausted, leaning against him for support. Clint finally picked her up and let her lay her head on his shoulder, “I’ll put her in bed. I could use a little rest too.”  
  
Natasha kissed her daughter’s hair, “I’ll check on you soon, malyutka. Mama loves you, alright?”

Wanda blinked, but other than that, made no movement. Clint was sure that she was going to be quiet for the rest of the afternoon until he set her on the bed and she started crying again.  
  
“Hey, hey. It’s okay, I’m not going anywhere. Don’t cry,” he tipped her chin up to look at him, “You’re sure having a bad day.”  
  
Sniffling, Wanda reached her arms up. Okay, so she did want him to cuddle her. Clint took her in his arms and lay down, pulling the blankets up over both of them. She trembled almost violently, and he stroked her hair to soothe her, “Shhh. It’s okay, princess. You’re home, you’re with me, and I promise that I will always keep you safe. Nothing bad will ever happen to you, I promise.”  
  
She whimpered again, long and pained, before lifting her head so she could mouth to Clint, “I’m bad.”  
  
“What? No, that’s not true. You’re such a good girl.”  
  
Wanda started sobbing again, this time clutching at his shirt. Clint sat up and started rocking her slowly, “I’ve got you, angel. Shhh, baby. I’m here, nothing will happen to you. Is there something that you want?”  
  
She did, but her mouth wouldn’t let the words come out. She pointed at him instead. Clint racked his brain, “Do you want a song?”  
  
She nodded and snuggled into his chest. Clint stroked her hair and sang to her softly, feeling her breathing even out. He was pretty sure he wasn’t all that good, but Wanda seemed to be calmed by it. By the time he was asleep, Clint himself very nearly was too, only to be awakened by Pietro sliding in next to him, “So, you lost her?”  
  
“Nat ended up telling you, huh? And I didn’t lose her, she ran off.”  
  
Pietro sighed and reached down to stroke Wanda’s cheek with a finger, “Well, at least you calmed her down. And she’s asleep.”  
  
“I think something scared her, Pietro. I just don’t know what.”  
  
“Who knows? Post traumatic stress disorder manifests in different ways-well, that’s what Bruce told me.”  
  
“He was right. I just wish she would talk. I feel like we’ve tried everything.”  
  
“I know,” he moved his hand to rub Wanda’s back and murmured, “You make me worry, baby girl. I just wish…” he trailed off, “Never mind. I’m guessing that it didn’t go well with Misty?”  
  
“It actually wasn’t that bad. But that Erik guy is super weird.”  
  
“Told you.”  
  
“He asked about you.”  
  
Pietro made a face, “Why?”  
  
“I don’t know. Really, I don’t. It was awkward. Can I go back to sleep now?”  
  
“Yeah,” he yawned and closed his eyes, “I think I’ll join you.”  
  
“Don’t hog the blankets. You know you do it.”  
  
“Well, you snore. How she gets to sleep with all that noise is a mystery to me.”  
  
Clint laughed quietly, “She’s a sweet kid.”  
  
“I just wish she knew that.”  
  
Clint didn’t have to say that he did too. Because it was an unspoken truth that they all did.  
  
  


Wanda woke them up with her crying a few hours later. Clint waved at Pietro to go back to sleep, “You were up with her last night.”  
  
“It’s fine. Steve’s got her tonight, so I can get some sleep then,” he pressed a kiss to Wanda’s forehead, “It’s okay, baby.”  
  
She calmed down pretty quickly-in fact, Clint was starting to wonder if crying was just a natural reaction to getting snapped out of her dreamworld. After a few minutes, her sobs had subsided and she sat still enough for Pietro to wipe her face clear from the tear tracks. He stroked her hair,  “Do you want to get up or rest for a little longer?”  
  
Wanda put her head down on Clint’s chest again as a response. He rubbed her back, “I’ll just cuddle with her until dinner’s ready.”  
  
“Sounds good,” Pietro stood up, “I love you, Wanda.”  
  
She smiled at that, and sighed contentedly. Pietro breathed a sigh of relief-if she was happy, he was happy. He sped out of the room and bumped into Steve along the way, “She’s fine now.”  
  
“Good. I was really worried. It’s so unlike her to run off like that.”  
  
“It was weird. I hope it wasn’t one of her illusions bothering her again.”  
  
Steve winced, “That would be really bad.”  
  
Suddenly, Friday’s voice came over the intercom, causing them both to jump, “Mr. Maximoff, there’s a man here to see you.”  
  
He frowned, “Who?” 

“Erik Lensherr.”  
  
His jaw dropped, “Why?”

“He didn’t specify, but it appears to be urgent.”  
  
Steve looked at him strangely, “What would he want?”  
  
“No idea,” Pietro muttered. He was at the door in a flash and opened it to find Erik in a trenchcoat, shivering from the cold outside. He also looked somewhat terrified, especially when he asked,

“May I speak with you?” 

Pietro didn’t budge from the doorway, “About what?”

  “Something very important,” he wiped his brow, “It’s going to sound insane, and I don’t expect you to believe me right away, but there are things that just can’t be a coincidence and-”  
  
“What are you talking about?” 

There was a very long moment of silence as Pietro became vaguely aware that some other members of the team had gathered behind him in curiosity. Erik seemed to take no notice.  
  
“Pietro,” he said earnestly, “I think you’re my son.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To clarify-Wanda did not actually see Von Strucker. She saw someone who looked like him, and that triggered her reaction.
> 
> I put Susan and Johnny in there because I LOVE THEM and I'm so excited for the new Fantastic 4! :D
> 
> Clint was singing whatever you imagine he was (I was kinda imagining Hush Little Baby, even though that's a little young, even for her)>


	25. Chapter 25

_I think you’re my son._  
  
I think you’re my son.  
  
Pietro wasn’t even sure if he could count himself as shocked because he hadn’t completely registered what Erik had said. Something about sons.  
  
_I think you’re my-_  
  
Fucking _hell_. Erik had just told him that he thought he was his son. And now that he had realized what the man had just said, Pietro could most definitely be shocked. He probably would have stood there in the doorway saying nothing forever if Natasha hadn’t said, “I think this is a conversation you two need to have sitting down.”  
Erik stepped over the threshold in silence, keeping his head bowed. Nobody said a word until they had all sat down  and Pietro finally spoke, “Erik, I’m sorry. But I think you’ve made a mistake. My father died eleven years ago.”  
  
“Your adopted father died eleven years ago.”  
  
“We weren’t adopted!”  
  
“Yes, you were,” Erik said miserable, “I made them swear not to tell you. I thought it would help keep you safe from whatever evils may live inside you.”  
  
“What the hell are you talking about?”  
  
He put a hand up, “Just listen. Listen to the whole thing and if you want nothing to do with me anymore afterwards, I’ll leave. But please, hear me out.”  
  
Pietro crossed his arms, “Fine. I’m listening.”  
  
Erik took a deep breath, “Your mother and I were only fifteen when she got pregnant. Both of us had already lost our families. The situation with the United States occupying us had gotten increasingly worse, and we had nowhere to stay. No jobs, no home, nothing. It looked hopeless. And on top of that, your mother got very sick,” he paused, letting it all sink in before plunging on, “I was desperate, I looked everywhere for something that could make her better. And at eight months, I finally heard about an English scientist named Herbert Wyndham who had set up his laboratory on a nearby mountain. Everyone told me he was a madman, but I was so desperate. So we went to the mountain they told us he lived on. Mount Wundagore, they called it.”  
  
“I know where that is,” Pietro said in surprise, “But people always seemed to think it was too dangerous to climb.”  
  
Erik sighed, “It is. I mean, you can climb it, but it’s dangerous once you’re up there. Nobody would believe the real reason, so they simply accept that the laws of nature keep man from going. But when I climbed that mountain to find this scientist who could apparently perform miracles upon the human body, I found out the truth. A demon lives in that mountain.”  
  
Pietro looked at him dubiously, “A demon.”  
  
“Yes.”  
  
“Okay,” he stood up, “I’m sorry but this is just ridiculous. You haven’t given me a single reason to believe what you’re saying. All I know is that you and your pregnant girlfriend apparently went up a mountain so some random scientist could save her life.”  
  
“Please, just sit,” he begged him, “I swear, everything will make sense. The demon’s name was Chthon-”  
  
“ _What_?” Thor shouted, causing everyone to jump, “ _Chthon_?”  
  
“I assuming you know what this is about,” Natasha muttered  
  
“I heard tales of him when I was a child. He is older than Odin. He is older than my grandfather.”  
  
Everyone stared, “And?”  
  
“And he was one of the first living beings in the universe! He possessed unimaginable abilities!”  
  
Natasha was starting to look annoyed, “ _And_?”  
  
“He went mad with power and was banished to an earthly location from which he could never return many years ago,” Thor finished.  
  
“Well, it was Mount Wundagore,” Erik cut in, “And until Wyndham set up his lab there, Chthon slept undisturbed for many years.”  
  
Pietro sighed, “Why is this important?”  
  
“Because when we finally found Wyndham, we discovered that he had making an army of creatures, half human, half animal. He called them the New-Men and they were powerful and dangerous.”  
  
“You have got to be joking. This is the most far fetched story I’ve ever heard. Get to the part where it makes sense.”  
  
“Right,” he said hurriedly, “Well, once we saw these…these creatures that Wyndham had unleashed, we realized that he was indeed as insane as everyone had warned us he was. We were about to leave, but before we could, your mother went into labor. That night, you and your sister were born. It should have been the happiest day of my life, but your mother was so sick and the birth had taken a terrible toll on her. She died after only five minutes.”  
  
Pietro didn’t look like he was going to respond, so Steve asked, “What happened?”  
  
“He sensed new life close to him. Pure, untouched souls that could corrupt no power. Chthon knew he could never leave that mountain, but with the right vessel, he could transfer his power into the rest of the world, knowing that it had the capability to rain fire and destruction upon the it and exact revenge on the very place that had kept him trapped for so many years. And to harness that power, he chose you and your sister.”  
  
“That’s ridiculous. How do you know?”  
  
“Because he taunted me about it,” Erik said, “He made me watch as he transferred his powers into my children and told me that they had the potential to be monsters. But before he could transfer all the power he needed into you, Wyndham’s New Men attacked him and saved you from obtaining as much as your sister had.  
“I was terrified. I grabbed both of you and ran as fast as I could, anything to get off that cursed mountain. It was so cold, I thought we were all going to freeze to death. I think it can only have been a miracle that saved us that day.”  
“They didn’t get their powers until they were adults,” Bruce said before glancing over at Pietro in worry, “Right?”  
  
“I’ll get to that,” Erik continued, “But first you need to know that I so, so scared that you would become like that monster. I was expecting my infant children to cause mass destruction at any minute. So I did the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do,” he buried his face in his hands, “I gave you up. I had two friends who were older than me by just a little bit that were very willing to take in both of you after I explained what had happened. But I made them swear not to ever tell you about who you really were. The names of those people were Django and Mayra Maximoff.”  
  
Pietro felt his heart stand still.  
  
It was like his entire world was shattering around him. Everyone sat in complete silence. Steve looked rigid, almost angry, and Natasha who always seemed to know just how to handle things, seemed at a complete loss as for what to do. And as for Tony, he looked scared. After a long, drawn out silence, Erik spoke again.  
  
“I looked older than fifteen. I faked my age and managed to make it into the United States on my own. After that, I went to school, got a job, and a good life. I met my husband after a while, but I never forgot,” his voice broke, “It was my biggest regret. I thought for certain that I would never see you two again. And then I knocked on your door that one day and you told me your last name was Maximoff. I hadn’t heard that name in ages. At first I thought that perhaps it was a coincidence, but you’re twenty one, and I left the country that many years ago. You have powers, just as Chthon promised. And you’re twins, a boy and a girl. It was too much not to wonder,” he sighed, “But today, I heard Wanda say something that made me sure of it. That the House of M stood for Magnus.”  
  
“So?”  
  
“That is my middle name.”  
  
There probably should have been another long, drawn out silence, but instead everyone started screaming. Natasha was shouting at Thor ( _“Why the fuck did you never mention Chthon?”_ ), who was yelling at Tony ( _“Stop looking so scared, everything is fine!”_ ), who was doing the same to Bruce ( _“She’s pretty much a demon! How did you not notice?”_ ), who seemed to be on the verge of turning into the Hulk and made a hasty exit before anything bad happened. Meanwhile, Pietro yelled at Erik, “Are you fucking serious?”  
  
“I..I suppose it could all be a coincidence.”  
  
“Of course it’s not a fucking coincidence! Oh my God. How do you expect me to explain this to her? Sorry honey, your father thought you were going to turn into a horrible monster so he left you.”  
  
“That’s not what it was.”  
  
“That’s what it sounds like.”  
  
“I…” he sighed, “Yes, I was afraid. I should have handled it better. But you have to understand, I was young-”  
  
“Young?” Pietro shouted, “I was ten! I was ten fucking years old when I had to take care of Wanda full time while we were starving on the streets and living in constant fear that someone was going to blow us up! I didn’t leave her because it was too hard! And after I found out that she can make entire universes, I still didn’t leave just because I was scared! And you know what, Erik? I was _scared as hell.”_  
  
“I know. I’m so sorry,” he choked out, “I failed you in that regard, I know I did.”  
  
“You still haven’t explained the powers thing,” Steve said, looking annoyed, “If Chthon transferred his abilities to them right after they were born, how come they only started doing stuff after the Hydra experiments?”  
  
“I believe the experimentation acted as a trigger of sorts. Perhaps what he gave you could not fully work on humans until they were given a…push.”  
  
“The Tesseract,” Thor spoke up, “That’s what they were using on you.”  
  
“And that’s why you were the only two who survived the experiments,” Natasha finished, “You already had the power.”  
  
“Fucking hell,” Pietro muttered, “I can’t believe this is happening.”  
  
Amidst all the noise, nobody noticed that Clint had walked into the room with Wanda in tow until he snapped, “All that yelling was scaring her. What were you-oh. Hi, Erik. What are you doing here?”  
  
“He was just leaving,” Pietro said icily, “Goodbye, Erik, Thanks for dropping by.”  
  
The man nodded. He looked completely worn out, like telling that story had drained some of the life out of him. He looked over at Wanda and said softly, “I’m glad to see you, darling.”  
  
She hid behind Clint, but waved. Erik pulled on his coat, and turned back to his son one last time, “I’m sorry. I truly am.”  
  
“I know.”  
  
After taking one last look around the room, he took his leave. Almost immediately after, Steve moved to pick Wanda up, “Come here, baby.”  
  
Wanda yawned and rested her head on his shoulder while he turned to look at the others, “What are we gonna do now?”  
  
“I don’t know,” Natasha said weakly, “I really don’t know. Where do you go from that? Pietro, did you have any idea?”  
  
“Does it look like I had any idea? I did not in a million years expect this to happen. Someone just knocked on my door and tells me that he’s my-”  
  
“Shhh!” she cut him off, “Not in front of her.”  
  
“Right. Sorry. He told me that thing and I don’t know if he expects me to be fine with it, but I’m not, because everything about my entire life has changed now.”  
  
“That’s not true.”  
  
“Yes it is! My parents lied to me and apparently I’ve had these powers just waiting to come bursting out for my entire childhood. This is so fucked up.”  
  
“Do you think Charles knows?”  
  
“Gee, sorry I forgot to ask right after he dumped about five bombshells on me at the exact same time.”  
  
She put her hands up, “Just asking. Maybe you should go after him.”  
  
“No, I’m not. I want nothing to do with him, ever. He can’t just waltz in here after twenty one years and expect to be a part of my life.”  
  
“Yeah, okay. Okay. Holy motherfucking shit. Oh god.”  
  
“Language,” Steve said weakly.  
  
Pietro couldn’t help it, and started to laugh hysterically. Everyone stared at him like he was crazy for about a minute before Thor and Tony joined in. Steve did too, although it was more of a hysterical half wheezing half crying sound rather than a laugh, “Holy motherfucking shit. I didn’t think your life could possibly get more insane.”  
  
“I have no idea what the fuck I’m supposed to do,” Pietro wiped tears from his eyes, “What am I supposed to do?”  
  
Natasha, who had retained her composure said, “I have no clue.”  
  
“Whatever. This is fucking insane. I…I need to go.”  
  
“Where?”  
  
“Anywhere. Come on, Wanda.”  
  
She slid out of Steve arms and ran to grab her brother’s hand just as Natasha protested, “I don’t think you’re in any state to take her by yourself.”  
  
“Then fucking come with.”  
  
As soon as they were gone, silence fell over the group again. Thor looked mildly horrified at the fact that he had laughed at such a very inappropriate time just a few minutes earlier, and Tony still appeared terrified. Clint stared at all of them in bewilderment.  
  
“What the hell did I miss?”  
  
  
  
“So, are you gonna tell her?” Natasha asked Pietro as they sat hunched over in a booth at a local McDonalds. Wanda was sitting nearby with Helen, who had met them there once Natasha had called her.  
  
“Do I have to?”  
  
“No. Yes? I don’t know,” Natasha sighed, “This is weird. I still feel like it’s some kind of dream.”  
  
“I know. I’m expecting Wanda to wake me up crying any second now.”  
  
“You should tell her.”  
  
“Really?” 

“No. Fuck no.”  
  
He groaned in frustration, “Then why did you tell me to?” 

“Because in that moment, I thought you should. I actually have no idea how to handle this myself. That’s your father, Pietro. You share his DNA and everything.”  
  
“That doesn’t mean I have to like him.”  
  
“I know. It totally doesn’t. It’s just that even if you don’t want him in your life, that doesn’t change the fact that he probably wants to be apart of what’s going on with Wanda too.”  
  
“He has Jean-”  
  
“But you’re no less his family.”  
  
Pietro made a face, “Family. I thought the only one I had was dead and gone.”  
  
“You have us.”  
  
“You know what I mean. I just don’t remember ever thinking there was a possibility we were adopted. Mom and Dad were the best parents I could have asked for and now I found this out.”  
  
“It doesn’t change anything,” she reminded him, “They were still your parents.”  
  
“It doesn’t change the fact that I have a father who just showed up on my doorstep. Is it wrong that I’m angry at him?”  
  
Natasha shook her head, “No. I would be pissed.”  
  
“Why?”  
  
“I dunno. Because it’s this big shock and sometimes getting pissed off is a good emotion thing to do while you figure out how you really feel about something.”  
  
“So you don’t think I’m actually mad.”  
  
“That’s not what I said. It’s just that if I somehow had a guy tell me he was my dad I would be mad because if I had parents I never would have been in the Red Room, you know? But if he only did it because he thought it was my best shot at a happy life, then I might realize later that he was only trying to be a good guy.”  
  
“That’s different. He was afraid of us. For something he got us into. And instead of owning up to that, he just ran.”  
  
“Yeah, he did.”  
  
Pietro felt almost annoyed, “You’re supposed to be saying something about how it was okay and I should call him.”  
  
“I told you, stay pissed off or whatever as long as you need. Human emotion is the heartbeat of every step you take through life.”  
  
“That makes no sense.”  
  
“I know, I’m just spouting crap to make you feel better.”  
  
He couldn’t help but laugh again, “God. Who would have thought that we’d be here?” 

She cracked a smile, “Probably Nick. He always knows everything-well, almost everything.”  
  
“Could he have predicted this?”  
  
“Not a fucking chance.”  
  
Pietro started laughing again, not as loudly, but just as hysterical, earning him a strange look from one of the employees. Natasha sat back and stared at him, a small grin playing on her face before she started laughing too. And then she started crying because he was crying and fucking Christ, they really needed to get out of there.  
  
  
  
A few days later, after the laughing and crying and screaming had finally quieted down, Pietro still had no idea whether he should tell Wanda or not. What if it confused her? What if it messed up her friendship with Jean?  
  
Well, the latter was probably not true, Wanda could be friends with anyone once she got over her initial shyness. But she would most definitely be confused, and on top of that, Pietro had no idea how to say it to her. He had already rehearsed it a million times already and most of the scenarios he had come up with were not pretty. He had asked Clint for advice, but the archer wasn’t in favor of telling Wanda at all, so that was no help.  
  
When he was doing her hair as she sat in his lap one morning he almost said it-he was so close. But she cut him off by asking, “Why was Jean’s dad here?”  
  
“Uh…Jean left something and he was just picking it up.” So much for telling her the truth.  
  
“Can we play soon?”  
  
“Maybe,” he said awkwardly as he finished running a brush through, “We’re busy this week.”  
  
“With what?”  
  
“Stuff. But that's not important right now. It’s Twin Day, remember?”  
  
She laughed, “I remember! Can we go to the park?” 

“Sure,” he finished tying the ribbons in her hair, “There. You’re so beautiful.”  
  
Wanda turned to look up at him, “Am not.”  
  
“Are too,” he kissed her forehead, “Me beautiful, brave sister.”  
  
She still looked like she didn’t believe him, but snuggled closer, “I love you. You’re the best brother ever.”  
  
That makes it fine. She makes it okay.  
  
Pietro held her close, “I love you too, baby. I love you too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this was total shit. Think of it as a necessary evil-I needed to do a chapter that explained the twins origin (it's basically the same as the comics, save for a few changes I made to better fit the MCU canon). I'll try to update soon with a better chapter.


	26. Chapter 26

“Wanda, Erik is your dad. He had to leave us a long time ago because he was scared that we were going to hurt him, but he’s back now and he wants to be in your life. And in my life, but I don’t really want him to be, so let’s just stick to your life for now. You do not have to call him dad or acknowledge him in any way if you don’t want to. I don’t want to because he was a dick who abandoned us. Sorry I didn’t tell you sooner. And I’m sorry that your father is such an idiot.”  
  
Clint didn’t look up from his book, “Meh.”  
  
Pietro groaned in frustration, “Forget it. I don’t know how to tell her.”  
  
“You could always not tell her. I’m sure Steve would prefer that too.”  
  
He slumped down on the couch, “Erik’s not replacing Steve, he knows that.”  
  
“No, I don’t think he does. Anyways, does it really matter? If my old man came back here and wanted to start up some great relationship with me, I’d tell him to go to hell.”  
  
“That’s a good plan. But I’ve already done that. Maybe we should move and change our names.”  
  
“You could do that.”  
  
“Get a restraining order.”  
  
“Unwarranted.”  
  
“Hide our room forever.”  
  
“Yeah, that’s definitely the way to go.”  
  
Pietro glared at him, “You’re extremely unhelpful, you know.”  
  
“Look,” he finally set his book down, “I just don’t see why she needs to know at all. You’re not telling her about Chthon, at least for the time being, so why does she need to know about Erik?”  
  
“Because he’s her-her…father,” the words felt heavy, almost gross in his mouth. Not at all foreign, since he had been saying them repeatedly for the past few weeks, but the feeling that came over him whenever he said it hadn’t changed, “And if she ends up somehow getting into my head and finding out that he’s her dad, she’ll want to see him. Am I just supposed to tell her no?”  
  
“Maybe. But he’s your father too.”  
  
“Don’t remind me,” Pietro muttered, “They make this kind of thing look so touching and happy in movies.”  
  
  


 

Jean and Wanda had grown rather attached to one another, and despite whatever issues everyone else was having with each other, it wouldn’t be fair to them if they were just told they couldn’t see each other anymore. Charles (who had called Pietro on the phone and apologized profusely for everything that had happened) suggested that it would be better if they met in a “neutral territory” for the time being, which was how Steve and Natasha ended up taking Wanda to Central Park that day.  
  
It wouldn’t be fair if he asked Pietro to go. How could any of them expect somebody to get over a revelation like that so quickly? It was his father. For Steve, it would be petty, immature, and stupid to feel a competitiveness against Erik.  
  
But he just couldn’t help it. Misty had already told him that feeling of jealousy were normal in this kind of situation, and that it would help if he tried to “make connections” which didn’t help at all. Steve was the stable one who was supposed to handle every situation perfectly, no questions asked. But right now he was jealous and annoyed and being _such_ a shitty parent.  
  
“You’re not a bad father,” Natasha told him under her breath.  
  
He cringed, “Did I say that out loud?”  
  
“No, but I know you were thinking it.”  
  
“I’m allowed to think whatever I want,” he hissed so Wanda wouldn’t hear him. She was pretty involved in her own thoughts at the moment. Lorna was pressed up close to her face so she could whisper to her-about what, Steve had no idea. He cleared his throat, “Hey, baby. Are you feeling okay today?”  
  
“I’m glad I can see Jean again.”  
  
“Yeah. I’m glad you can see her too,” he drummed his fingers on the dashboard, wondering if he should say anything to her about Erik. Maybe it was unnecessary for now.  
  
It was the middle of October, and a low rumble in the sky when they started walking through the park let them know that it was going to rain soon. Wanda looked up anxiously and clutched at Natasha’s hand, “Thor isn’t doing that.”  
  
“No, malytuka, he’s not. But it’s nothing to worry about,” she looked ahead, “There they are.”  
  
Jean’s fiery hair stood out amongst the dreary setting of the day, but Erik almost seemed invisible. He pulled his coat tightly around him and avoided all eye contact as the two girls ran up and embraced each other. Natasha greeted Erik pleasantly, and Steve tried to follow suit, but it came out as more of a half-hearted mutter than anything else. The other man responded with the same thing.  
  
“Let’s go play,” Jean grabbed Wanda’s hand, “Did you bring Lorna? I brought Hope. She’s my bunny.”  
  
Her eyes lit up, “A real bunny?”  
  
Jean laughed, “No, but we can pretend. Come on.”  
  
Natasha sighed, “I’d better go watch them and make sure nothing blows up.”  
  
Steve glared at her as she ran off after them. Natasha had definitely done this so he would have to hang out with Erik. He fidgeted a little, trying to think of what a good conversation topic would be, eventually just setting on saying, “Well.”  
  
“Well,” Erik shoved his hands into his pockets, “This is awkward.”  
  
“Yep.”  
  
“Pietro didn’t come?”  
  
“No,” Steve thought it was probably best not to add, “he kinda hates your guts.”  
  
“Well it’s nice that she’s here. I just wish…”  
  
“I know,” for the first time, Steve felt sympathetic towards the man, “It’s only been a few weeks Erik, and it’s a lot to take in. He’ll come around.” 

“Charles has been repeating those very words to me quite a lot lately. Has he told her yet?”  
  
“No.”  
  
“Is he going to?” 

“I don’t know, Erik,” he sighed, “We have to think of what’s best for her and this is going to be a huge adjustment. She’s already unstable, and I don’t want to make it worse. Just look at how Pietro took it.”  
  
“They’re very different,” he reminded.  
  
“Yeah. She’s more emotional. Probably the most emotional person I’ve ever met, and I know the Hulk.”  
  
Erik seemed to grow more earnest with each word that came out of his mouth, “I’m aware of the situation, but whatever problems she has, whether they are mental, physical, or both, I want my children to be happy.”  
  
“Of course you do. We all do.”  
  
“And I want to be in their lives. Whether or not Pietro will allow me to be in his, I don’t know, but I really believe Wanda will give me a chance.”  
  
“That’s because she doesn’t know any better,” Steve felt himself starting to get annoyed, “She will latch on to anyone. That whole thing with Von Strucker probably started because he got her to trust him first, so don’t go telling me that it’s such a great idea to put yourself into her life when she’s vulnerable and can’t put up any emotional walls.”  
  
“I care about my daughter-“

“She’s my daughter too!”  
  
It came out harsher than intended, and Steve immediately felt guilty. Evidently, Erik did as well, as he stopped talking and suddenly took a great interest in looking at the ground.  
  
Steve let himself breathe for a moment, “I’m sorry, Erik. I’m being a jackass.”  
  
“You want them to be happy. And I easily forgot that she is your child,” he  didn’t take his eyes off the ground as he spoke, “Wanda’s had two dads in her lifetime and I’ve never been one of them. But I would like to be a part of her life, and Pietro’s if he’ll let me. I can’t say I don’t understand his resentment towards me, but if I can make it up in any way, I will.”  
  
“I don’t know if you can,” Steve admitted, “But you can try. And that might be more than enough. Look, I’m sorry if I seem too worried over telling Wanda, I just get a little overprotective sometimes.  
  
Erik smiled, “You’re her father. It’s your job.”  
  
Up ahead, Natasha was sitting on a bench while the girls chased each other and threw leaves in the air. She looked happy and genuinely relaxed-a Natasha Steve never could have imagined existed when he first met her.  
  
“She’s great,” he said, “They both are.”  
  
“I know.”  
  
“It’ll work out.”  
  
“I hope you’re right,” Erik said softly, “I really do.”  
  
After getting all that out of the way with Erik, Steve was much more cheerful by the time they got home. Pietro immediately seemed to guess why and muttered, “Good for you.”  
  
“He wants to see you.”  
  
“I know.”  
  
“You don’t have to.”  
  
“I know.”  
  
And after that, everyone knew to let it drop.  
  
  
  
  
Wanda closed her eyes as Natasha scrubbed at her hair that night, “Mama.”  
  
“What is it, baby?”  
  
“Why does Pietro hate Erik?”  
  
Natasha’s hands froze, still covered in soapy water. Wanda looked up at her expectantly, like this should be the easiest question in the world to answer.  
  
“Why do you think he hates him?” she asked carefully.  
 “I heard him and Clint talking and they said his name a lot. He sounded angry.”  
  
“He doesn’t hate him,” Natasha told her as she washed her hair out, “They had a small disagreement, that’s all.”  
  
“About what?”  
  
“About something that you don’t need to worry about.”  
  
“Why?”

“Because it’s their problem.”  
  
“Why?”  
  
She rolled her eyes, “Because it just is. Don’t worry about it.”  
  
Wanda shivered and nuzzled into Natasha’s shoulder as she wrapped her in a towel, “Can I sleep with you tonight?”  
  
“Of course you can.”  
  
“I don’t want to bother you.”  
  
“Wanda,” she sighed, pulling a shift over the girl’s head, “You’re my baby. No way could you bother me.”  
  
Wanda leaned into her arms, trembling slightly. Natasha reached around and pulled her hair up into a ponytail, “Do you need me to get your brother? You seem so stressed.”  
  
“I don’t know,” she wrung her hands together as her breathing grew more intense and her eyes widened, “I-I can’t. I don’t know. I should go.”  
  
“Go where?”  
  
“I don’t know,” her movements were jerky now, the way a broken robot would move, “I don’t know, Mama. Don’t leave, please don’t.”  
  
“I’m not going anywhere, malyutka. Take a deep breath for me.”  
  
Wanda suddenly pulled out of her embrace and started frantically clawing at her arms again, as if she had forgotten Natasha was there at all. The assassin stood still in shock for a split second, then grabbed the hands away as gently as she could, “Stop that. You don’t want to hurt yourself, do you?”

Wanda looked at her in confusion, “Hurt?”  
  
“I said you don’t want to hurt yourself,” she repeated, “Understand? I know it’s hard, but it’s very important that you try.”  
  
The confusion in her eyes cleared up, like a switch had been turned off. Still, her body shook and her voice quivered, “Mommy, I’m tired.”  
  
“I know, sweetie. Go lie down, I’ll be right there.”  
  
Wanda rubbed her eyes with the back of her hand as she dragged her feet to Natasha’s room. Everything around her seemed blurry and faded, pulling away from her fast until she felt like she was standing alone in a dark room. That dark room.  
  
_Let me touch you, pet. You like this, don’t you? You like getting fucked. You’re such a dirty little whore._  
  
_Count for me. I know it hurts, but I wouldn’t have to do this if you weren’t bad. You’re such a bad girl._  
  
you’re a bad girl you’re a bad girl you’re a bad girl-  
  
“Wanda! Oh my God, baby. Are you okay?”  
  
It took a few seconds to realize that she was in front of Natasha’s room, but lying on the floor, unable to remember actually getting there. Her mother’s hands were helping her up and led her into the room before lying her down on the bed and getting in next to her. Helen was already in bed reading a book, but she set it down as soon as she saw the two of them, “What happened?”  
  
“She’s panicking again. Sweetheart, can you say what’s going on?”  
  
“I-I don’t know,” she stuttered, “I’m sorry that I’m a bad girl.”  
  
“You’re not bad.”  
  
She started to cry in earnest now, burying her face in Natasha’s chest, “I’m sorry, Mama, I’m so sorry.”  
  
“Shhh, baby. Mommy’s got you, it’s okay. Everything’s going to be fine.”  
  
Helen spoke again, “Do you need me to get Bruce?”  
  
She shook her head “Let’s see if we can ride this one out. She stopped trying to hurt herself right after I told her, so that helps.”  
  
“Oh, honey,” Helen reached over to stroke Wanda’s hair, “You’re such a good girl.”  
  
Wanda barely heard them. She knew there were voices, real ones, and they were talking, but it all seemed so faded. Everything seemed to fade until she was back in that dark, cold room again with nobody who would ever love her, with a man who put his hands on her until she screamed. And the only thing that she could hear now was the chanting in her head.  
  
_you’re a bad girl, you’re a bad girl, you’re such a dirty, awful, disgusting, bad girl_


	27. Chapter 27

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had such a hard time writing this chapter that I actually cried because I was so pissed at how awful it was. *sigh* Well, it's better to give you guys this rather than nothing. 
> 
> There are two flashbacks in this and a conversation about what happened to Wanda, just as a warning.

_Everything was on fire and nothing was beautiful._  
  
_Wanda tried to concentrate very hard on the ceiling because maybe, just maybe, if she looked long enough she could forget about what was happening. Maybe she could even make herself think it was just a dream. She’d wake up and Pietro would be there to fix everything._  
  
_Nobody was touching her. There was no hand slapping her face, no voice asking, “Do you like this?”_  
  
_Wanda nodded shakily, even as tears spilled over because she hated this, she really did. Von Strucker groped at her chest again, “I knew you would. It feels good, doesn’t it? Tell me how much you like it.”_  
  
_“I wish…” she trailed off, immediately regretting the words leaving her mouth. Von Strucker stilled and the terrifying, yet friendly look in his eyes was replaced by one of anger, “What do you wish?”_

_“Nothing,” she said quickly, “I’m sorry.”_  
  
_He grabbed a fistful of her hair and yanked on it, “You’re sorry what?”_  
  
_“Sir. I’m sorry, sir.”_  
  
_“I don’t want you questioning me, you know that. Your brother would be furious with you if he knew about what you do. Don’t you know what a bad girl you are for liking this? Do you want me to tell him? He won’t love you anymore if he knows.”_  
  
_“No!” that was the worst thing in the world, “Don’t tell, please!”_  
  
_“Quiet, pet. I won’t tell if you’re good. Get on your hands and knees.”_  
  
_She hesitated and he snapped, “Now.”_  
  
_Biting her lip to prevent any sobs from escaping out, she did as she was told, shutting her eyes tight. The first hit came without warning, but she was expecting it, this was how it so often went._  
  
_“Now, Wanda,” even with her eyes shut she could practically see him smirking down at her, “Tell me again how awful and disgusting you are.”_  
  
_She was sure the words left her mouth, but she barely heard them. All she could hear was the echo of her brother’s voice, speaking kindness and love to her, words she thought she might never hear again._  
_“I’m awful. I’m disgusting.”_  
_Talk to me_  
_Talk to me, brother._  
  
Wanda hadn’t been asleep for fifteen minutes before Pietro heard her screaming his name, which was unusual. When she screamed, she usually just shrieked random nothingness rather than actual words. Pietro dropped the book he was reading onto the ground and ran into their room where he found her curled up on the floor and shaking. He knelt down next to her and gathered her into his arms, “Sweetheart, what happened?”  
  
Wanda nuzzled her face into his shoulder, “I got scared. You were gone.”  
  
“I was just in the other room.”  
  
“But I want to be with you. Don’t leave me. Please don’t leave me.”  
  
“Shhh,” he rubbed her back, “I’m not going to leave you. But you need to take a nap, baby. You don’t sleep well at night.”  
  
Wanda sighed, “I’m not tired. Can we play imaginations?”  
  
“No. You can do that later, after you get some sleep.”  
  
“I don’t want to sleep. It’s scary.”   
That cut like a knife. Pietro decided not to push it any further, “Okay. What do you want to do?”  
  
“Stories. I can tell first.”  
  
“That sounds good,” he picked her up and lay her on the bed, letting her curl up onto his chest. Pietro kept rubbing circles on her back, “What story do you want to tell?”  
  
“Cinderella.” 

“Shocker.”  
  
Wanda ignored that, “Okay, so once there was a girl named Cinderella who lived with her stepmother and stepsisters who were really mean to her. She had to live with them because her dad died and…” she trailed off, “Daddy’s not gonna die, is he?”  
  
“I’m pretty sure Steve is fine.”  
  
“Promise?”  
  
“I promise.”  
  
Wanda looked a little uncertain as she continued, “And then one day Cinderella got invited to a ball because the prince was looking for a person to love, but her stepmother wouldn’t let her go. But it was okay because her fairy godmother came and made her beautiful and happy. She was so beautiful and I-” her words started to become stuttered and slurred again, “I wish I was beautiful.”  
  
Pietro frowned, “You are beautiful.”  
  
Wanda shook her head and stayed quiet for a minute before suddenly bursting into tears, “No, I’m not! I wish I was, I always wish that I can be pretty, but I never am! I hate how I look.”  
  
Pietro couldn’t help but feel a little surprised, but then again, sudden outbursts weren’t unusual with Wanda. He sat up, still holding her close, and kissed her hair, “Baby, don’t cry. You’re perfect, alright? You are the most beautiful girl in the universe, and I love you just the way you are. There’s not a thing you need to change.”  
  
“But I don’t feel pretty, ” she sniffed, “I tried to, but I don’t know how.”  
  
“Where is all this coming from?”  
  
“I just think it a lot.”  
  
“Wanda, if you’re struggling with something I need you to tell me. The last time you kept a secret-” he stopped short, there was no need to make her feel guilty, “I just mean that if you feel like this a lot, you should tell someone. It doesn’t even have to be me.”  
  
“I tell you everything,” she said quietly, “I’m sorry, I’m trying to be a good girl and I didn’t mean to be bad.”  
  
“You’re not  bad,” Pietro said firmly, “You’re not in trouble, nothing is going to happen to you. I just want to know why you feel like this.”  
  
“I can’t talk about it.”  
  
“Wanda…”  
  
“I just can’t. Can we draw instead?”  
  
“I don’t know. Maybe you should go have some time with Bruce.”  
  
“No!” she shrieked, burying her face in his chest, “I have to stay with you! I don’t want you to leave me! I’m a bad girl and you won’t love me because I’m awful and disgusting, and I’m so sorry. I’m a bad girl.”  
  
“Wanda, just breathe, alright? You’re not a bad girl, do you understand me? You are not a bad girl. I know that somebody made you feel that way, but it isn’t true. Whatever he said-”  
  
“But I said it!” Wanda moaned, “He hit me and he told me to say I was a bad girl and I did!”  
  
Jesus Fucking Christ.  
  
Pietro wanted nothing more than for Von Strucker to come back to life so he could slowly, painfully end the monster himself, but before he could even give Wanda an indication that he was upset, she had clapped both hands over her mouth, “I…I wasn’t supposed to tell you. Something bad will happen to you now and it’s all my fault!”  
  
He managed to collect himself. Still shaking, he pressed a gentle kiss to the top of her head, “Nothing bad is going to happen. I’m fine, aren’t I?”  
  
Wanda rubbed her eyes with the back of her fist, “It’s too scary.”  
  
Pietro pushed it forward a little, choosing his words carefully, “I know it must have been scary, and that thinking about it is too. Did he hit you every time you were…” there was no nice way to put it, “Every time you were alone with him?”  
  
“Just when I didn’t have Eva. And then he did other stuff.”  
  
He sucked in a sharp breath, “Like what?”  
  
“Stuff like kissing,” she bit her lip, “But it was different. And he made me do things.”  
  
“What kind of things?”  
  
“I don’t know. I was scared and then I cried and he told me to…” she stopped for a moment, “He said to lie on the floor and then he took his belt off and he hit me and he said I was a bad girl and that I had to say it, so I did. I can’t talk about it anymore.”  
  
“Are you sure?”  
  
“Yes,” she said flatly, “We should go play. Can we?”  
  
“We can do whatever you want,” Pietro stood up, still holding her close, “Sweetheart, I am really proud of you for telling me that. I know it was scary, but you were so brave.”  
  
“I wasn’t supposed to tell you,” she looked confused, “Or bad things will happen to you and you’ll stop loving me.”  
  
“Well, I definitely still love you. And nothing bad is going to happen to me because I have to stay and look after you.”  
  
“Is that a brother rule?”  
  
“Yep. The number one brother rule is to look after your baby sister.”  
  
Wanda leaned her head on his shoulder, “What if I’m a bad girl?”  
  
“You’re not bad. And I’ll take care of you no matter what.”  
  
  
  
  


After the whole freakout that had happened earlier, Pietro was a little hesitant to let Wanda watch Cinderella, even if it was the live action version with less annoying music. But since it was the only thing that got her to calm down and sit still for a few hours, he relented and let Clint and Natasha watch it with her while he talked to Bruce.  
 “She mentioned the thing about physical punishment,” the doctor told him, “And she did say that he would tell her she was a bad girl, but she never told me that he made her say it. That man got off on degrading her, no wonder she didn’t want to talk about it.”  
  
Pietro crossed his arms, “Why would she just freak out and start yelling that she wished she was beautiful? She’s never said she hated the way she looks before, not like that.”  
  
Bruce shrugged, “Children who experience sexually traumatic events are likely to undergo feelings of body dysmorphia.”  
  
“How do you know?”  
  
“I actually read those pamphlets Misty sent home.”  
  
“Oh,” he picked at a loose thread on his shirt, “So what do we do?”  
  
“Honestly? I’m not exactly sure. I’ll keep trying to get her to talk about it more, but she won’t unless she wants to. If she doesn’t feel like it, we can’t exactly force it out of her. I mean, it was pretty big that she shared that with you. And it shows that she trusts you a lot.”  
  
Pietro wanted to say, “Of course she does,” but the past few weeks had led him to wonder if she really did. If she trusted him she would have told him everything.  
  
Don’t be so fucking selfish. It’s not her fault. She thinks she’s protecting you.  
  
And in a way, she really was. Because Pietro knew he had to hear about what had happened, but a part of him didn’t want to. It was far too painful to think about how his sister had suffered, how he hadn’t been there to protect her. How she had kept such a terrible secret for so long.  
  
“I just want her to be happy,” he said finally.  
  
“I know. And in a lot of ways, she is. She’s really loved.”  
  
That much was certain. Pietro looked over to the couch where Clint had Wanda curled up on his lap while Natasha held her hand. It was the part of the movie where the fairy godmother showed up and Wanda said, “Clint, it’s you.”  
  
“Oh yeah,” he threw Natasha a dirty look as she snickered, “That’s uh…definitely me.”  
  
“Mama, when you and Helen get married, will she by my stepmother?”  
  
Natasha looked surprised, “I guess she will be. Is that okay?”  
  
Wanda nodded, “She’s nice. I love Helen so much. And if you marry her, she’s going to be your princess.”  
  
“I’ll tell her that. I’m sure she’ll be delighted,” she laughed, “I’ll have two princesses, and both of them are beautiful.”  
  
“Who’s the other one?”  
  
“Who do you think?” Natasha kissed the top of her head, “You’re a princess, malyutka!”  
  
“Oh!” she looked surprised, “Okay. I’ll be a good princess.”  
  
“You already are. My beautiful girl,” she squeezed her hand gently, “You feeling alright today?”  
  
She shrugged, “I guess.”  
  
“I know you talked to Pietro a little bit today,” Natasha said carefully, “Can you talk about it some more?”  
  
“No.”  
  
“Are you sure?”  
  
“Yes. I can’t talk about it anymore, Mama,” she started sucking her thumb again and leaned against Clint, eyes focused on the movie. The archer threw Natasha a look that seemed to serve as a suggestion to drop it, which she did. Some things were better left unsaid, at least for now, Pietro thought as he watched them from the other end of the room. Then he internally slapped himself because that was another fucking lie he was telling himself so he could hide form what had happened.  
  
Stop being so selfish. You fucking bastard.  
  
“You okay?” Bruce asked him.

“Not really,” he muttered, “I hate that she’s going through this. I hate that somebody hurt her so badly. I hate that I don’t know how to tell her about her father. I hate everything about this.”  
  
“I’m sorry.”  
  
“Don’t you know how to fix it?”  
  
He laughed, “I wish I did, but sometimes there’s nothing you can do but offer your sympathy. I really will try to work with her more, Pietro. I mean, I like her a lot. She’s a sweet kid. Most days I can’t believe I was ever afraid of her.”  
  
“You were afraid of her?” Pietro stared at him, “Why?”  
  
“Well, the fact that she could make me lose control of the Hulk just like that was a big thing.”  
  
“Oh.”  
  
“But you know, I think we all would have handled what happened with you guys a lot differently if we had known we were pretty much up against a five year old. Not that she’s not…powerful or anything, but she’s not the person we thought she was either.”  
  
“It doesn’t matter now, does it?” it was more of a statement than a question.  
  
“No,” he agreed, “It doesn’t.”  
  
  


 

Wanda didn’t generally fight Pietro if he told her to do something, but getting her to go to sleep was becoming a bit of an issue. She was pretty quiet when he got her dressed, kissed her goodnight, and turned the lights out, but after five minutes, she just got out of bed and ran back into the common room. Pietro sighed and hauled her back, “It’s time to go to bed now, Wanda.”  
  
“I don’t want to.”  
  
“I know, but I can’t just let you keep yourself awake. Do you want to go lie down with your mom or dad?”  
  
She shook her head, “No sleeping. Can’t we go outside and play?”  
  
“It’s the middle of the night.”  
  
“Then we can play inside.”  
  
He set her back down next to Clint, who was already snoring, “You can play tomorrow.”  
  
“But I can’t go to sleep. There are things I have to do.”

 “Oh really?” he pulled her into his arms and stroked her hair as she snuggled closer, “Like what?”  
  
“Eimin and Uriel are having a birthday and I need to go to their party.”  
  
Pietro suppressed a groan. Eiemin and Uriel were just two of Wanda’s many imaginary friends. He had asked her to describe them to him once and her descriptions of these two in particular were pretty terrifying. From then on, Pietro had liked them the least out of all his sister’s imagination.  
  
“Well, tell them they can have their party another time.”  
  
“But they need to have it now!”  
  
“Wanda, I don’t want to fight with you. It’s time for you to sleep, so close your eyes and try to relax. I’m right here, and I won’t let anything bad happen.”  
  
“I’m scared,” she whispered, “It’s too scary to sleep.”  
  
“Shhh. It’s okay, sweetheart. If you get too scared I’ll be right here and I’ll make it better, okay? Just try and get some rest.”  
  
Wanda whimpered and clung on to him tighter, but didn’t argue any more. Pietro sang softly to her until she finally relaxed against his chest and fell asleep. He kissed her forehead quickly and muttered a quick prayer for her to make it at least until early morning before she woke up crying.    
Even though she was asleep, her little hands still held limply onto his shirt.  
Pietro let her be.  
  
  
  
_“Stop crying. Didn’t you come here to be brave? How will you go through the experiments if you cannot even handle this?”_  
  
_Wanda knew she shouldn’t cry, she knew it made her a bad girl, but wasn’t she bad for letting him touch her anyway? Her body felt like it was frozen to the ground, just as frigid as the air around her. And the feeling of what he was doing-and she wasn’t even really that sure of what he was doing-was too much to bear. She cried out again, only to have him land a heavy slap on her face._  
  
_“I just want to make you feel nice,” his tone took a slight change into something a little more sugary but no less terrifying, “Doesn’t this feel nice?”_  
_If it was supposed to feel nice, Wanda was sure she was doing something wrong because it was terrible. Maybe if she could be better at it, he’d like her._  
  
_Von Strucker groaned and that was when Wanda knew part of it was over. He pulled away from her as she curled up on the floor, shaking. After a few minutes, she felt a hand on her shoulder, forcing her to stand again._  
  
_“You’re not a good girl yet,” Von Strucker told her, “But you did a good thing. You don’t want to be bad anymore, do you? Remember, nobody will love you if you’re bad.”_  
  
_“I don’t want to be bad,” she whispered, “But I just want to see my brother and-”_  
  
_He squeezed her shoulder harshly, “Don’t ask for things, Wanda. Good girls are grateful for what they have. Aren’t you grateful that you have me to teach you?”_  
  
_She waited too long before hesitantly saying, “Yes.” Von Strucker’s smile faded. The sugary demeanor was gone, replaced again with an icy glare, “I don’t think you appreciate it quite enough. Maybe a little discipline will remind you, yes?”_  
  
_“No!”_  
  
_Oh no. No. She was in trouble, she was in so much trouble and she knew it was going to hurt so much when he grabbed her wrist and yanked her down onto her stomach._  
  
_Wanda shut her eyes tight and wished harder than she had ever wished before._  
  
  
  
“Fuck!”  
  
The very first thing Clint found strange about being jolted out of his sleep was that it wasn’t Wanda crying as usual. Pietro was practically screaming over her hysterical sobbing.  
  
“I don’t care if he’s dead!” he yelled, “ _I will bring him back just so I can kill that fucking bastard myself!”_  
  
Clint stared, “What happened?”  
  
Pietro threw him a wild, agonized look, “She projected onto me, by accident. I saw her dream. I saw what he did to her, Clint!”  
  
“I…oh my God. Okay,” his head was spinning, “Pietro, calm down.”  
  
“Don’t fucking tell me to calm down! I don’t care about being calm, I don’t care what I have to do to make him pay for what he did!”  
  
“You’re scaring her,” he said weakly, although he knew it wasn’t going to help much. There was no coming back after witnessing that kind of thing happen to the most important person in your life. But Wanda was still crying, so Clint picked her up and started shushing her, whispering words to quell her tears. Pietro was just breathing heavily now, and Clint wondered if he was about to have a panic attack.  
  
“I hate him,” he croaked out, “No, I don’t hate him. There is not a word in this universe that describes what I feel about that monster.”  
  
“I’m sorry!” Wanda sobbed, “It was an accident, you weren’t supposed to see!”  
  
“Oh, sweetheart,” something in Pietro seemed to break, and while none of that anger really went away, it was temporarily replaced by the voice he used to soothe his sister, “I am so sorry. I am so sorry.”  
  
Wanda practically threw herself into his arms, “Don’t be mad at me.”  
  
“I’m not mad,” his voice was shaking, but not from anger, “Shhh, I’m here, baby. Nobody will ever hurt you again.”  
  
If only that could have made her happy, reassured, and feeling safe. But Wanda bawled her eyes out onto her brother’s shirt while he murmured to her, rocking her gently, and stroking her hair while Clint rubbed her back and whispered small words of encouragement.  
  
He’d be lying if he said that he didn’t want to kill the monster too. 


	28. Chapter 28

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tony is kinda briefly a jerk in this chapter, just FYI.

Pietro was gone. Wanda knew he was gone the moment she woke up with her face pressed against her father’s chest, feeling his arms encircle her and his hands stroking her messy hair. She felt herself start to panic and sat up so fast she would have fallen off the bed if he hadn’t caught her.  
  
“Where is he?” she whispered, “I made him go away. I made him go away, I’m so sorry-”  
  
“Shhh,” Steve positioned her so she could curl up on his lap, “You didn’t make him go away, sweetheart. He went to see someone for a little while, but he’ll be back soon.”  
  
“Who?”  
  
“It’s not important. He just needed some time, that’s all.”  
  
A rush of memories from the night before came flooding back into Wanda’s head-her brother hugging her, Bruce coming in and speaking to him in low, hushed tones. Somewhere along the line she had finally fallen asleep again-who had been holding her she couldn’t recall.  
  
“ _Daddy_ ,” she whispered, “I’m sorry.”  
  
“It’s not your fault, Wanda. None of it is. Pietro told me what you showed him.”  
  
“I didn’t mean to.”  
  
“I know, baby. I know,” he kissed the top of her head, “Everything’s going to be okay. I swear, I will never let anyone hurt you again. You’re not in trouble.”  
  
“I hurt him.”  
  
“No, you didn’t. Von Strucker did. Pietro is angry with him for what he did, but he’d never be upset with you.”  
  
“I didn’t want him to see,” she whispered, “It was an accident. I don’t know how I did it, but I really didn’t mean to.”  
  
Steve wiped a tear from her eye, “Baby, I know you didn’t mean to. But you’re going to be fine, I promise.”  
  
“Don’t go,” Wanda clung to him like a lifeline, “Please don’t leave me, Daddy.”  
  
“I’m not going to leave you. I won’t ever leave you, Wanda. I love you too much to ever do that,” he stood up, still cradling her in his arms, “Let’s go see the others, okay? Your brother will be home soon.”  
  
Wanda felt limp, almost lifeless. She rested her head against Steve’s shoulder, “I can walk.”  
  
“Do you want to?”  
  
“No.”  
  
“Yeah, that’s what I figured,” he chuckled, “It’s okay, sweetie. Don’t stress yourself out.”  
  
Natasha looked at them with not a hint of nervousness but a whole lot of pain when they got to the common room. Bruce looked calm as anything, and patted Wanda’s shoulder, “Hey, there. Rough night?”  
  
She nodded, still keeping her eyes closed. She was clinging to Steve so tightly that he was pretty sure it wouldn’t be a good idea to put her down at the moment, so he kept her in his arms as he talked to Natasha, “Have you heard from Clint?”  
  
“Not since they left. Apparently Er- the guy was excited to meet up.”  
  
“I hope it goes well.”  
  
“Yeah. Me too,” she kissed Wanda’s cheek, “How are you feeling, malyutka?”  
  
Wanda didn’t answer-she just whimpered and hid her face in Steve’s shoulder. He sighed, “Oh, honey. Don’t cry. I swear, nobody’s mad at you.”  
  
Tony scoffed from the couch. Steve turned to throw him a death glare, “Is there a problem, Stark?”  
  
“Nothing,” he shrugged, “It’s just weird that you care so much that she did to herself what she did to all of us. You weren’t hugging her then.”  
  
“Are you fucking serious?”  
  
“Steve,” Natasha said in a warning voice, “Not in front of her.”  
  
After a moment or two he tore his gaze away, looking no less pissed off, “Forget it. I need to get her to eat something and then I’m taking her to Misty.”  
  
“I called and cancelled. I think we all need some downtime today. Bruce can talk to her if she feels up to it.”  
  
Wanda tugged on Steve’s shirt, “Daddy. I want to hide.”  
  
He smiled, “Where?”  
  
“Anywhere. Eimin and Uriel want to hide.”  
  
“Well, they can go do that and you can stay right here. What do you want to eat?”  
  
“I don’t want to.”  
  
Steve didn’t feel like forcing her, “Well you have to tell me if you get hungry, okay? Do you want to draw?”  
  
She nodded emphatically, “Can you draw more bunnies?”  
  
“Of course I can. I mean, I think I’ve drawn you a thousand at this point, but we could do with a few more.”  
  
“I love them,” Wanda said softly, “I love them so much.”  
  
“I know. You love everyone.”  
  
At this point, Steve wasn’t sure if that was a blessing or a curse.  
  
  
  


 

Pietro regretted his decision to meet Erik as soon as he stepped into the coffee shop.  
  
First of all, it was a fucking coffee shop. Could he have made this any more cliche? On top of all that, he was already stressed out enough and it was probably a terrible idea for him to go and have a heart to heart with his long lost biological father, even if Clint had offered to come with for moral support.  
  
Pietro had barely slept the previous night. What Wanda had showed him made him sick to his stomach. All her behavior, the panic attacks, the anxiety, the fear of people leaving her, all suddenly made a whole lot more sense. Pietro had once thought there was nobody in the world he could possibly hate more than Tony Stark. Oh, how wrong he had been.  
  
So after all that had transpired, he had gotten up early that morning and called Erik, asking if he would be able to meet up that day. Why he had chosen now to get together with the man who had dumped him and his sister in a war zone he didn’t know. Maybe the tiny part of him nagging about how it wasn’t fair to Wanda to keep Erik out of their lives without even telling her who he was had started to win over. Maybe he was just sick of pretending that his father didn’t exist. Whatever it was, he ended up in a Starbucks that morning, feeling absolutely terrified. Clint reached over and took his hand, “Hey. It’s going to be okay.”  
  
“Sure it will.”  
  
“You’re just gonna talk to him. It’s not like you’re gonna hug and cry and call him dad.”  
  
That thought was nauseating. Pietro tried not to let it into his mind and focused on Clint, “Thank you. For coming with, I mean.”  
  
“You don’t have to thank me. You need me, I’m there.”  
  
He smirked, “In every sense?”  
  
“Don’t ruin the moment with your dirty mind. But yes. And if you need me to support you when you’re meeting your long lost father.”  
  
Pietro met his eyes, “Really. You’ve been a rock for us. I thought I could do this by myself for all these years, but you’ve helped so much.”  
  
“You can do it by yourself. I don’t know how the hell you managed, but you did. The only thing is that you won’t have to go things alone ever again,” he smiled gently, “I love you. I love Wanda. And after all the shit you went through, I want to do right by you guys.”  
  
“You already have.”  
  
For a moment, Pietro could forget about everything weighing down so hard on his shoulders. For just a moment, he could let it go and just be happy.  
  
And then Erik walked in.  
  
Immediately, Pietro felt his guard go up. Clint reached over and touched his hand, “If you want to leave, we can.”  
  
“No, we can’t,” he muttered. That would be stupid, not to mention even more awkward than things were now.

It was practically a relief to see that Erik looked just as nervous as Pietro felt. He seemed to shuffle towards their table and when he stood in front of them, he didn’t say anything. Neither did Pietro, so there was a very uncomfortable silence until Clint said, “Hey, Erik.”  
  
He looked relieved, “Hello, Clint. It’s nice to see you.” 

“Likewise,” he aimed a kick at Pietro under the table, snapping him out of his frozen stance. He cleared his throat, “Um. Sit down.”  
  
“I really appreciate you reaching out. I understand that you must be angry still, but you must know that I’m willing to do whatever it takes to make things right.”  
  
“Yeah. Thanks,” he mumbled, “Look, Wanda still doesn’t know.”  
  
“I see. Well, you tell her when you feel it’s right.”  
  
“I was thinking I might tell her today.”  
  
Clint choked on his coffee and almost said something, but seemed to think better of it and kept quiet. Erik looked intrigued, “Any particular reason?”  
  
“I’m going to keep making up reasons to put it off. She deserves to know. But,” he added firmly, “We’re going to take this slow.”  
  
“Of course. I’m more than happy to do this on your terms. As long as I am able to get to know my children again.”  
  
A small part of Pietro wished Erik wasn’t cooperating so well so he had an excuse to call this all off, but there was no going back now. He drummed his fingers on the table, “You can’t tell Wanda about Chthon. And…we shouldn’t let this affect her and Jean either.”  
  
“Absolutely,” he agreed, “That’s the last thing I want.”  
  
“And you can’t just randomly show up either. Come over once a week. And you can bring Charles and Jean too. That’s it, I guess.”  
  
He smiled, “This means so much to me, you have no idea.”  
  
“Uh-huh. Well it…means a lot to me too.” Pietro internally slapped himself. Why the fuck would he say that?  
  
“I’m so glad that we’re getting this opportunity,” Erik continued, “I never thought I’d see my children again, and now this. It’s amazing.”  
  
Pietro had to admit, it was a pretty insane coincidence. And if this was a Hallmark Movie he would have said that it was a beautiful coincidence and that life was an wonderful, mysterious thing that had reunited them and they all would have laughed and had a pleasant, bonding conversation.  
  
But this wasn’t a movie. This was real life. And real life fucking sucked, so they just sat there really awkwardly for about fifteen minutes, pretending that the sound of coffee machines were loud enough to cover up the silence between them.  
  
  
  
  


 

When Pietro and Clint got home, Wanda still looked terrible. She had dark circles under her eyes and was curled up in a corner, speaking softly to Lorna. Steve was looking at her worriedly,

“She’s been doing that for almost an hour.”  
  
“Wanda?” Pietro knelt down next to her. As soon as she noticed him, her eyes lit up and she threw her arms around him, “You came back!”  
  
“Of course I came back,” he kissed her face, “I’ll always come back for you. What are you doing?”  
  
“Playing imaginations. Where did you go?”  
  
Pietro took a deep breath and pulled her into his arms, “Look, I need to talk to you.”  
  
The happiness on her face was suddenly replaced with worry, “I’m sorry about being bad, I didn’t mean to.”  
  
“You weren’t bad, sweetie. And this isn’t about that,” he stroked her hair, “It’s about Erik.”  
  
“Jean’s dad?”  
  
“Yes. And I don’t want this to upset or confuse you. I want you to know that Steve is still your dad, and that’s not going to change. And that our parents still loved you.”  
  
“Okay.”  
  
Now or never. Pietro said it quickly, “You know how Steve and Natasha kind of adopted you?”  
  
She nodded.  
  
“Well, our parents-back home-they adopted us too. Erik had us first.”  
  
Wanda frowned, “I don’t understand.”  
  
“Biologically, he’s our father,” he tried to explain, “He’s related to us by blood. Our mother and father weren’t.”  
  
“But I never knew that.”  
  
“Neither did I. Not until recently. Erik came to America after we were born.”  
  
Wanda pondered this for a few minutes, wringing her hands together as if in distress. Her breathing got heavier and quicker, “But…he didn’t die. Mommy and Daddy died, but he didn’t. Why did he leave us?” her eyes widened, “Was it because of me? Did I do something wrong?”  
  
“No!” Pietro held her protectively, “No, of course not, baby. He couldn’t take care of us, so he left us with people who could. He wanted to do the right thing.”  
  
“But I have a dad,” she said desperately, “I can’t choose one.” 

“You don’t have to. Steve is still your dad. Erik is just your father and he wants to get to know you. But if you don’t have to if you’re not ready.”  
  
“I don’t know,” she whispered, “I don’t know. I just…I can’t, I’m sorry. I don’t know what to do.”  
  
“You don’t have to know. Whatever works for you is okay.”  
  
Wanda clung to him, “I just want to be with you forever. And for you to be happy.”  
  
“I’m with you. I am happy.”  
  
“I made you sad.”  
  
“No, you didn’t, baby. Not at all.” 

She bit her lip, “Pietro? Is there something wrong with me?”  
  
A rush of memories suddenly hit him-Wanda, ten years old and crying in their mother’s arms.  
  
_“Mama, what’s wrong with me? Why am I bad?”_  
  
His mother’s sweet, soft voice reassuring her she was just fine, that there was nothing wrong with her at all, that she was her darling daughter and she loved her no matter what.  
That night Pietro had finally gone to his father and blurted out, “ _Is_ there something wrong with her?”  
  
His father hadn’t gotten angry-his parents were not the type to get angry. He had just looked at him and spoken carefully, “What do you think?”  
  
Pietro remembered the feeling that had come over him, that awful, guilty feeling. He had immediately said, “I don’t think so. I think she’s just Wanda.”  
  
“Yes,” his father had smiled, “I think so too. She’s a little different, but that’s okay.”  
  
And when they were fifteen and by themselves and Wanda started crying one day and asking him again, “ _What’s wrong with me, what’s wrong with me?_ ” he had taken her in his arms and repeated his father’s words.  
  
Now she was looking up at him, eyes full of unshed tears, waiting for him to tell her that yes, she was crazy, broken and bad. Waiting for words that would never come. Pietro hugged her tight, “You’re a little different, but that’s okay.”  
  
“Really?”  
  
“Really. I wouldn’t have you any other way.”


	29. Chapter 29

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's some stress induced vomiting in this chapter, just a warning. I also stayed up all night writing this so please forgive any sloppy writing/mistakes.  
> Simon is an imaginary friend.

  
Wanda still wasn’t very used to Misty’s office. It was kinda nice in some ways-she liked the flowers and Misty let her draw as many pictures as she wanted, but she still hated the fact that she had to be all by herself. Misty was nice, she smiled and said kind things, but she never held Wanda in her arms, stroked her hair, or pressed little kisses to her face-all things she was used to Pietro doing. 

“How have you been, Wanda?” Misty asked her one morning, “I heard that you and your brother made some pretty big discoveries about your family.”

Wanda wasn’t sure how she felt about Erik being her dad either. She remembered her first father in Sokovia, and how he had swung her up in his arms, comforted her when she cried and told her every day how much he loved her. Steve did the same thing. But it would be strange to have Erik do it. She just shrugged and ignored the question, “Yesterday, me and Helen made cookies. And we sent some of them to her son. He lives really far away.”  
  
“That was nice of you. Do you like Helen?”  
  
“No. I love Helen. I wish she was here.”  
  
“Do you feel like talking about what happened today?”  
  
“No,” she turned to her left and patted an invisible hand, “Simon doesn’t feel like it either.”  
  
“Simon’s not running the show here, Wanda. Do you want to talk about it?”  
  
She shook her head, “Where’s my mom?”  
  
“She’s outside in the waiting room just like she always is. Why don’t you feel like talking about it today?”  
  
“Because I can’t,” Wanda felt herself starting to get upset, “Can we talk about kittens instead? I love all of them but I really want a little grey one because she could look like Lorna and they would match. But I’d love any cat really. Do you have a cat?”  
  
“I don’t.”  
  
Wanda looked sympathetic, “I’m sorry. My dad told me a story about real cats. Do you want to hear it?”  
  
Misty nodded and leaned forward, “I’d love to.”  
  
“He and his best friend used to feed cats without homes outside their apartment building. And when they had to leave for the army they asked a neighbor friend if she would feed the cats for them when they were gone, every single one. She promised that she would. And then a long time later, my dad went to see her and she told him that she fed all those cats, and when they had kittens, she fed them too, and all the ones after them. It’s the best story ever.”  
  
“That’s a very nice story. Do you feel like talking now?”  
  
“No,” she stood up and walked up to the window. Outside, heavy gusts of wind blew leaves around in swirls of red, orange, and yellow, “I want to go outside and play.”  
  
“You can do that later, can’t you?” Misty gently guided her back over to the couch, “Bruce told me that you’ve been working with him a little more. Can you talk about that?”  
  
“No,” Wanda’s lip trembled,  “Not today. I-I can’t talk about it right now. I’m sorry. I need my mama.”  
  
“Wanda, it’s not healthy for you not to ever talk about how you’re feeling,” she clasped her hands together, “Why do you feel like you’re a bad girl?”  
  
“He told me. And I said it.”  
  
“But he made you say it,” Misty reminded her, “And he lied to you about a lot of things, remember? He told you that your brother wouldn’t love you if he knew what happened, but he knows and he still loves you.”  
  
Wanda looked somewhat confused at that, “But I do bad things.”  
  
“Like what?”  
  
“I let him touch me, I think. I didn’t want him to, but if I really wanted it to stop I could have made him stop. And I tried. I tried to make him not do it anymore, but I couldn’t. And now everyone’s saying that I should have told Pietro right away and I didn’t. So I’m a bad girl,” Wanda suddenly burst into tears, “I didn’t want to be bad, I really didn’t.”  
  
Misty put a comforting hand on her shoulder, “Did he tell you that too? That you could have made it stop?”  
  
She nodded shakily.  
  
“Well, that was another lie. He was bigger than you, he was stronger than you, and there was nothing you could have done. It was not your fault. And yes, you should have told your brother, but you didn’t because you were scared. That doesn’t make you bad.”  
  
“I wanted him to like me,” she said almost desperately, as if looking for a reason Misty could blame her for the whole situation, “I was so scared of him, but I wanted him to like me.”  
  
“That’s because he manipulated you. He saw that you were a very loving person and he used that to his advantage. That wasn’t your fault either,” her hand traveled down to point at Wanda’s wrist, which was covered with pink scars, “Were you hurting yourself again?”  
  
“I had to.”  
  
“Why?”  
  
Wanda sobbed harder, “I need to stop. Please.”  
  
“We can stop,” Misty stood up, “This is really upsetting you, so let’s go find your mommy, okay?”  
  
The thought should have been comforting, but suddenly, Wanda found it terrifying. A rush of memories hit her hard, so hard it hurt, of hands gripping her wrists, breath hot on her face, words telling her not to cry.  
  
_you’re pathetic and you liked it if you didn’t like it you would have made him stop you awful awful bad girl_

Suddenly, Misty’s voice was so distant that Wanda couldn’t hear it at all. She sat frozen, tears streaming down her face before she jumped up and broke into a run.  
  
The last time she had ran away she hadn’t gotten very far, and Clint had found her anyways. His words rang loud in her ears-“don’t you ever do that to me again, do you understand?”  
  
And now she had ran. It was too late to go back. The idea of being punished for not listening was even scarier than hiding by herself.  
There was a closet she could hide in. She could hide there forever and she’d never get in trouble. Wanda yanked the door open and darted inside. It was dark, too dark, and it smelled awful-like the cleaning fluid people used to wash windows. She sunk to the floor and reached her hand out to grab Simon’s. She could barely feel it, but if she imagined it enough, he was there.

“It’s okay, Simon,” she choked out, “We’re safe in here. We’re okay-” she stopped as a heavy knock sounded on the door.  
  
“Wanda?” it was Misty, her voice gentle-at least it seemed that way, “Sweetie, it’s okay. Can you come out of there for me?”  
  
She wanted to scream _“no!”_ but that might hurt Misty’s feelings. Instead she just sobbed into her hands, now vaguely aware of low voices outside, all unfamiliar for a few minutes until someone else knocked again, “Wanda. It’s just me. Come out, it’s okay. I promise.”  
  
_mama’s out there she knows where you are and she can get you if she wants so just get it over with_  
_i want to die i want to die i want to die i want my mama i want my brother and i need to die_  
  
Shaking almost uncontrollably, Wanda opened the door and immediately fell into her mother’s arms. Natasha held her close, “Baby, it’s okay. It’s okay.”  
  
“I’m sorry,” she moaned into her shoulder, “I’m sorry, Mama.”  
  
“Shhh. Everything’s fine, malyutka. Nobody’s mad.”  
  
That was impossible. Maybe someone else was mad, and she’d have to see them later. Clint would be mad at her for running away again. Her brother would be furious. He had told her a million times, “Do not ever go off on your own.”  
  
Wanda tried to stutter out half formed apologies. Maybe that would make it better, “Mommy, I’m sorry. I’m sorry I was bad.”  
  
“Hush, sweet girl. You’re not in trouble. Mama’s got you, alright? I’m here now,” she rubbed her back, “It’s going to be okay. I’ll take you home and we’ll talk to your brother-”  
  
“No!” she shrieked, “You can’t tell him! You can’t!”  
  
Misty said something quietly and Natasha helped Wanda up, “God, I wish I could carry you. Come on malyutka, hold on to me.”  
  
Wanda did. Her hands clutched tight at her mothers’ shirt, gripping the soft fabric so hard that it probably stretched out. Natasha didn’t say anything.  
In that moment, her baby had nothing else to hold on to but her mom.  
  
  


 

Wanda knew what Natasha was doing out in the common room. She was telling. There was nothing she could do now. Her body was almost limp as Helen got her out of her purple dress, undid the bows in her hair, and pulled a nightgown over her head, “There you go, sweetie. That’s more comfortable, isn’t it?”  
  
Wanda bit her lip and looked away, “I’m in trouble. I was such a bad girl.”  
  
“That’s not true. You were scared,” Helen pulled her into a hug, “Don’t cry, nobody’s upset at you.”  
  
_that is not true_  
  
She reached onto the bed and grabbed Lorna, hugging her protectively to her chest, “I tried to listen to Misty. I promise.”  
  
“I know you did, baby. You tried so hard, and I am so proud of you,” she smiled a little sadly, “Do you need a nap now?”  
  
“No,” Wanda’s heart was racing again, almost violently, “I- I can’t-”  
  
Suddenly forever grateful that there was a bathroom connecting to the bedroom, she ran in and vomited into the sink. Her entire body was practically vibratingand it all hurt so much, it was all so horrible and disgusting that she barely noticed Helen holding her hair back and whispering to her. Finally, Wanda collapsed to the floor, “I’m sorry. I’m sorry.”  
  
“Stop saying that. You’ve got nothing to be sorry about,” Helen helped her up and into bed, “It’s okay baby. It’s fine.”  
  
“I don’t feel very sick.”  
  
“I don’t think you are. I think you’re just very stressed out. Try to sleep for an hour.”  
  
“I’m not tired either,” she protested, which was a lie. She was exhausted, and Helen could tell. She rolled her eyes, “You’re completely worn out, missy. Do you want your brother?”  
  
Of course she did. But Pietro was mad at her. He had only yelled at her once before and he had promised that he would never ever do it again. But he would definitely do it now. Wanda tensed up as soon as she heard the door open and Pietro saying her name. Helen got up to talk to him quietly for a few minutes before Wanda felt herself being pulled into strong, gentle arms.  
  
He wasn’t yelling. He wasn’t hitting her. She burrowed into his touch and sighed almost contentedly when he stroked her hair. Almost.  
  
Pietro kissed her shoulder, “You want to tell me what happened today?”  
  
“I don’t know. I was scared,” she paused, then asked in a tremulous voice, “Are you gonna hit me?”  
  
“What? No. When have I ever hit you?”  
  
“But Clint told me not to ever run away again and I did.”  
  
“Clint’s not mad either, baby. Not at all. He’s just worried about you.”  
  
Wanda didn’t believe him. She rubbed at her eyes with the back of her fist, “I threw up. I couldn’t help it.”  
  
“Helen told me. It’s no big deal. I’m not upset with you, Wanda. Not at all,” he kissed her again, this time on her face, “I love you so much, and I won’t let anything hurt you.”  
  
If there was a place where she was definitely safe, Wanda was pretty sure it was being in her brother’s arms. She snuggled closer to him, “I love you too. Don’t leave.”  
  
“I won’t.”  
  
“Never ever?”  
  
Pietro laughed softly, “Never ever. I’m staying right here with you.”  
  
Wanda drifted off to sleep after that, lulled by the sound of her brother murmuring songs and words of comfort. She jerked around a few times, called out for him, but her nightmares were usually so much worse than that. It was practically a blessing.  
  
By the time she had started to wake up properly, Clint had come into the room and was talking to Pietro. Wanda didn’t know what it was about-probably about punishing her. She buried her face into the crook of her brother’s neck, as if that would keep her safe from anything.  
  
“Wanda?” Clint spoke to her now, “How are you, princess?”

 _Princess_. He wouldn’t call her that if he was unhappy with her. How strange.  
  
“Can you talk, baby?” Pietro asked her, “It’s okay if you can’t right now.”  
  
“I can,” she mumbled, “I’m sorry, Clint.”  
  
“Aw, sweetie. You don’t have to apologize.”  
  
Wanda looked up at him, eyes wide, “Last time I ran away you told me not to ever do it again and now I did and I’m such a bad girl. I’m sorry. I don’t want you to hit me.”  
  
“Is that what you’re worked up about?” he asked incredulously, “Wanda, you got scared. I’ll never be upset with you for that.”  
  
“I should have listened to you.”  
  
“You can listen to me when you’re in control of what you’re doing. And most of the time, you’re not,” he reached down to stroke her hair, “I’m not mad at you. I would never hit you. You don’t ever have to worry about that happening, okay?”  
  
Wanda almost sobbed in relief, but she just sat up and threw her arms around Clint instead, “I was so scared.”  
  
“I know, princess. It’s over now,” he rocked her slowly, “It’s over. You’re safe, and you’ve been such a brave girl.”  
  
“I don’t want to be brave anymore.”  
  
“I know,” he repeated, “I’ve got you, baby. You’re gonna be okay.”  
  
Pietro had very nearly fallen asleep on his own when Friday’s voice suddenly came over the intercom, telling them that Erik, Charles and Jean had just arrived.  
  
“Shit,” Pietro sat up, “I forgot they were coming today.”  
  
“Jean’s here?” Wanda perked up a little bit, “Can we play?”  
  
  
  


Everyone talked way too much and with way too much enthusiasm. Charles was loud. Pietro was loud. Natasha was loud. Thor was practically roaring. And it was all to cover up the awkwardness of the situation.  
  
“Is Wanda alright?” Erik asked Pietro.  
  
“She had a bad day. She’ll be fine,” he looked over at the couch where Wanda and Jean were sitting next to each other. Jean patted Hope’s ears, “She’s a good bunny.”  
  
“I like bunnies.”  
  
“Me too,” she paused, “Why do you look like you cried?”  
  
“I did something really bad and I got scared. So I cried. Nobody was mad though,” she shrugged, “I don’t know why.”  
  
They sat in silence for a little while, letting Hope and Lorna do most of the communicating until Jean finally spoke up again, “So my dad is your dad.”  
  
Wanda shook her head, “Helen told me that Erik is still your daddy. He’s just my father and we’re related by blood or something. I don’t want you to feel like…”  
  
“Like what?” Jean prodded.  
  
“Like I’m taking your dad away,” she bit her lip, “I’d be really sad if I made you feel that way.”  
  
“I don’t!” she grabbed her hand, “It’s okay, Wanda. I’d never feel that.”  
  
Wanda sighed in relief, “I’m really glad.”  
  
“Besides,” Jean continued, “It’s kinda great. Now you and me are like sisters.”  
  
“Oh! We are!” she exclaimed, “That’s amazing!”  
  
“I never had a sister before.”  
  
“Me neither. Lorna’s kinda like a sister, but she’s mostly a cat. I never had a human sister.”  
  
Jean laughed, “Well now you do! You have a sister and a brother.”  
  
Wanda leaned her head on Jean’s shoulder as she put an arm around her, “I’m glad you’re my sister. But I’m even happier that you’re my friend.”  
  
“Me too,” she smiled.  
  
Erik had been watching them from a few feet away, and now walked forward nervously, shuffling his feet and staring at the ground, “Hello, Wanda.”  
  
“Hi,” she waved, “I’m glad you’re here.”  
  
He looked pleasantly surprised, “So am I. What are you two doing?”  
  
“We were going to tell stories,” Jean said, “You can listen too. Wanda, you can go first.”  
  
“Okay,” she smiled up at Erik, “You can listen too.”  
  
“Oh,” he sat down next to them almost primly, folding his hands in his lap, “Alright then. What are you going to tell about?”  
  
“I’m going to tell you about some cats. Real ones.”  
   
  



	30. Chapter 30

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: The tags apply here, mostly the things about self harm and suicide. If that's triggering or upsetting to you in any way, don't read on.
> 
> In case I wasn't clear about it before, the twins showed little hints of their powers in childhood, but they needed the experiments to truly manifest.
> 
> Tony is a jerk in this chapter, again. Just be warned.
> 
> There's a little reference to the last oneshot in this verse that I wrote.
> 
> Sorry about the weird spacing, AO3 was acting up again.

Pietro’s mind had been flooded with a ton of memories about his parents lately. Suddenly, little things about his childhood made sense. His father gently suggesting that he go a little slower because Pietro was fast-not superhumanly fast as he was now, but enough to gain attention. His aunt leaving the apartment in terror because Wanda suddenly started talking about her uncle who had been dead for years. Nights when she would wake up screaming and crying about a fire monster, Mayra holding her and shushing her cries, saying over and over again that it wasn’t real. Now it all made sense why Wanda used to run home crying, covered with scrapes and bruises, why the other children had spat harsh, unforgiving words at the two of them.  
  
_“Your sister’s such a baby. She’s a freak.”_  
  
His parents had always told him the same thing-Wanda was just shy, a little bit different than him, she just needed to be taken care of more than other girls her age. He had believed them for a long time until they were ten years old and he realized that Wanda was the only person his age he knew who still sucked her thumb and cried whenever their mother and father had to go somewhere. It hadn’t made a difference to him, not at all. Pietro had always loved Wanda the way she was, even if nobody else would.  
  
There were happy memories too. His mother had absolutely hated to wear shoes. Her favorite color was blue. She’d loved music. Little things like that, he had never let go of.  
  
Wanda was curled up in in his lap and watching Mulan again. She seemed a little tired today and so did Clint. Pietro had been gone helping out at the new Shield headquarters last night, so he assumed that they’d had a hard time. He squeezed Wanda’s hand gently, “Was everything okay last night?”  
Her face went pale and she threw a frantic look at Clint, who quickly said, “It was fine.”  
  
“Really?”  
  
“Yeah. All good.”  
  
Pietro eyed him warily, but he trusted Clint enough to drop it. Wanda seemed a little bit tense now, and hid her face in her brother’s shirt, “I love you. I really love you. I love you so much I can’t even describe it.”  
  
He stroked her hair, “Love you too, baby.”  
  
“We have to give hugs all day. Are you going to leave? You can’t leave. You have to stay here. I miss you when you’re gone.”  
  
“I’m not going anywhere,” he shot Clint another look. The archer shrugged and mouthed, “she’s just being clingy”.  
  
Pietro looked back down at his sister, who now had her arms and legs wrapped around him and her head on his shoulder, “Did everything go okay with Bruce today?”   
She shrugged, “I guess.”  
   
Things had been getting better with Bruce and Misty lately. Wanda was talking about what had happened-slowly, but she was still talking. Pietro had gone in and told them everything she had shown him in the vision, and he’d be lying if he had said that having to relive that wasn’t one of the most unpleasant experiences of his life. Getting Wanda to believe that the whole ordeal hadn’t been her fault was hard, but they were getting there too. Misty had told them she would never be completely over it, but she could learn to deal with it. That was the most important thing.  
  
When the movie was over and Pietro stood up, Wanda shrieked and grabbed at his arm, “Wait! Don’t go!” 

Pietro shook his head and picked her up, “Calm down, sweetheart. I’m not leaving you.”  
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            ****“You can’t. You can’t leave me. I’ll kill myself if you aren’t here.”  
  
Pietro almost dropped her, “Don’t say that!” 

“But I will,” she hid her face in his neck, “Please don’t leave me.”  
  
“I’m not leaving you, baby. Calm down,” he stroked her hair, “I’m right here, don’t cry. What’s got you upset?”  
 

“I don’t know. My head is thinking too much again.”  
  
By that, Pietro was pretty sure she meant that she was absorbing too much of other people’s thoughts and feelings, which was never a good thing. Wanda couldn’t handle her own, let alone everyone else's. He took her into their room and curled up on the bed with her close in his arms. Wanda was sucking her thumb again and clung fast to her brother with her free arm. Pietro could see the faded, pink scars from her constant scratching and clawing on her wrist.  
He’d read a book recently, where the guy in the story kissed the scars a girl made on her arms. He had hated that. He hated the scars Wanda had on her wrists because they were just an ugly reminder of all the pain she had been through pushing her to mutilate her body. He couldn’t imagine kissing the marks of her pain like they were something beautiful and wonderful.  
It sure would be nice if the scars were like sweet words, perfect days, and a road to healing that you took chapter by chapter, knowing that by the end of the story, everything would be alright. But the scars weren’t any of that. They were his baby sister screaming in the night, the days when she wouldn’t speak or eat, the times when she vomited from all the stress she was under.  
  
Wanda looked up at him worriedly and he realized he must have looked worried. Pietro kissed the top of her head, “Do you feel a little better?”  
  
“A little,” she whispered, “I’m just thinking and it’s hurting.”  
  
“What’s hurting? What are you thinking of?”  
  
Wanda averted her gaze, “Him.”  
  
Pietro stiffened. He did not want to talk about “ _him_ ”, which was a shame, because it was the most important thing they needed to talk about, “What about it?”  
  
Wanda was so quiet that Pietro at first assumed she had just shut off again until she finally burst into tears, “He told me that if I wasn’t good when I got punished you’d hate me for being bad and you wouldn’t love me anymore. I worry all the time that you’re gonna leave!”  
  
“Baby,” he said softly, “I will not leave you. I will never stop loving you. I don’t even want to think about what my life would be like if you weren’t in it. You’re the most important person in the world to me Wanda, so don’t think for a minute that I would ever leave you by yourself.”  
  
“But I was bad!” Wanda grabbed his arm, “I was really, really bad. I let him do things and if I had wanted it to stop, I could have! And now my head is all mixed up, and I wish I could fix it!”  
  
“I know, sweetheart. I know,” he stroked her hair, “I wish I could make it better.”  
  
Something in her face suddenly seemed to clear up and she touched his hand, “Will you play with me? We can find leaves outside.”  
  
Pietro smiled. Wanda seemed to find interest in the strangest things, “Of course we can. Go get your coat on.”  
  
“Do I have to-”  
  
“Yes, you have to wear shoes.”  
  
Wanda groaned.  
  
  
  


 

“That’s a whole lot of leaves,” Natasha commented, “I’m sure you can get Steve to do some kind of art project with you.”  
 

“Really?” Wanda looked interested, “That sounds fun. But this one is for you, Mommy. It’s the same color as your hair.”  
  
Natasha grinned and held it up to her head, “It is, huh? Did you find any green ones?”  
  
“No,” she said a little sadly, “The green ones are gone now. But I’ll get one for Bruce when they come back from their vacation. I tried to find one for my brother, but there are no silver ones. Even in spring.”  
  
Pietro ruffled her hair, “The red ones are a little like you. You make red lights.”  
  
“Scarlet. They’re scarlet lights.”  
  
“Of course they are,” he kissed the top of her head, “I need to go make a call, okay?”  
  
Wanda nodded a little uncertainly. Pietro went into the hallway, where all the noise in the common room was a dull roar. Erik answered the phone within two rings, “Hello.”  
  
“It’s me.”  
  
“I know. Caller ID.”  
  
“Oh,” Pietro muttered. He wondered what Erik had him saved in his phone as. Hopefully just his name. Was he supposed to have him down as dad? Why couldn’t it just be Erik? He thought that Road Runner (a cartoon character that he found horrible annoying), which was what Natasha had him saved as on her phone, would be better than Erik having him as “son.”  
  
“Pietro?” Erik was saying, “I was just wondering if maybe you’d all like to come to our place this week. But if that’s not alright, I understand.”  
  
His mouth suddenly felt dry, “No, no. That’s fine. Uh…I’m sure Wanda will be excited to see Jean. And you.”  
  
“Oh good,” he sounded excited, “Same day, same time? I don’t think you’ve been over here before, have you? We do have a dog, if that’s a problem.”  
  
“No problem,” Pietro liked cats more than dogs, but animals in general he enjoyed. Wanda loved them, “So I’ll see you on-”  
  
He stopped short at a crash from the common room, followed by screaming. Wanda screaming and crying.  
  
“What is that?” Erik asked.  
  
“I don’t know. I’ll talk to you later,” he hung up and ran back out, where he found Thor trying to hold Wanda in a restraint while her hands glowing red shattered beams all across the room. At first Pietro thought the hex covered her entire arm until he looked a little closer and realized that what he was seeing was blood.  
  
“What happened?” he yelled.  
  
“I don’t know!” Tony said from his hiding place behind the couch, “Everything was fine and then she just grabbed a knife and started cutting her arms!”  
  
“Oh my God.”  
  
Wanda was still thrashing and screaming. The knife lay discarded on the floor, but from the amount of blood on it, Pietro figured she must have gotten in a few deep cuts before anyone stopped her. He knelt next to her and started speaking softly, trying to calm her, until he noticed Clint dialing his phone. He stared, “What are you doing?”  
  
“I’m calling the hospital. She needs to go.”  
  
“No!” he yelled, standing up and running over to him in a blur, “You’re not going to send her there!”

“She just tried to kill herself!” Clint yelled back, “She’s posing a threat to her own health and safety and she needs help!”  
  
“I’ve been getting her help!”  
  
“Well, she needs something more. Her powers are out of control and messing with her mind, her trauma is taking over her life, so I’m calling.”  
  
“Do you know what they’ll do to her? They’ll take her away from me!”  
  
Clint sighed and handed the phone over to Bruce, who finished dialing the number himself, “Pietro, don’t you want what’s best for her?”  
  
“Yeah, maybe it’s time to accept that your cute baby sister isn’t so cute. Or y’know, a baby,” Tony put in.  
  
Pietro glared at him, “Shut your fucking mouth, Stark.”  
  
“Look at her, she’s going to kill all of us!”  
  
“Tony!” Steve snapped, “Just don’t say anything, okay?”  
  
“All I’m saying is that speedy here keeps sheltering her from everything and look how well that turned out. Did it occur to you that maybe if you stopped treating her like a kid she’d stop acting like one?”  
  
“You don’t understand anything about it,” Pietro said through gritted teeth, “It’s an aspect of her head that we can’t control or make go away. I dealt with it the best I could.”  
 

“Well, maybe your best wasn’t good enough.”  
  
Before anyone could do anything, Pietro had punched Tony in the face with enough force to cause him to stumble back a few feet, _“I know it wasn’t good enough, you son of a bitch!”_  
While Natasha and Steve tried to break it up, Bruce spoke over the noise, “Okay, they said to bring her in.”  
  
Wanda was no longer shooting blasts of energy, but she was still screaming and crying, attempting to talk in a jumbled mess of slurs and stutters that were completely unintelligible. Thor stood up and held her so she could hardly move, “Pietro, maybe you should stay here.”  
 

“Not a chance.”  
  
Nobody argued. Tony, and Clint stayed behind, as the latter said he would call Erik, Misty, and Helen. Pietro was incredibly grateful for this, he didn’t feel like explaining the situation to anyone at the moment. Natasha’s face was pale and pinched-she looked scared. And that was how anyone could really know something was terribly wrong, because Natasha was never afraid of anything.  
  
Wanda was hysterical, but somehow through her tears, she managed to reach out and clasp her brothers’ hand. The blood soaked onto his skin, but he squeezed her hand tight, letting her know he was there. He didn’t let go for a second.  
  



	31. Chapter 31

  
_“You’re a bad girl, you’re so bad and disgusting. What are you even doing here?”_  
  
_You’re so dumb, Wanda. You can’t do anything right. What’s wrong with you?”_  
  
_“Is she dead yet?”_  
  
_“No. She couldn’t even kill herself. She wanted her brother.”_  
  
_“Ew. She’s such a baby.”_  
  
_“You’re a really bad girl. You’re going to get in trouble and you deserve it.”_  
  
_“You’re so horrible and nobody’s ever going to love you.”_  
  
_Von Strucker was touching her again, slapping her face when she cried. The first time he wanted to be alone with her, he had almost been nice. A little strange-Wanda didn’t know why he wanted her to sit at his feet. He had petted her a little like a dog or a cat. Wanda had always wanted a cat and she had told him._  
_But then the Things started, and he wasn’t nice anymore. He made her do things that he said would make her feel good, but they hurt, they really hurt. Wanda had walked in on their roommates doing things like that once. She had asked Pietro why, but he didn’t seem to know how to explain it._  
_For four months, Von Strucker came to see her everyday. Sometimes he just wanted to look. Other times he didn’t touch quite as hard. Most of the time, it was horrible. He had hit her witch such force and done other things that hurt so bad, she had screamed and cried for what felt like days. She had begged them to let her see her brother, her brother who despite seeing Wanda every few days, didn’t know what was happening. Von Strucker never hit her face hard enough to leave a lasting mark._  
_Right before Wanda found out she was going to have Eva, she had done something awful, and she didn’t even know she had done it until she woke up in the middle of the night and realized  that the sheets were wet. She had yelled for Pietro, because that was just instinct, but by the time she realized that he wasn’t going to be there, Abra had already come in to see what was going on._  
_“I-I’m sorry,” Wanda stuttered out, “It was an accident. I didn’t mean to, I promise.”_  
  
_Abra smacked her, “You stupid, stupid girl! How could you let this happen? You’re twenty, not two!”_  
  
_Wanda had immediately burst into tears because her brother had been around the last time it happened, and he had held her close and said it was alright, he wasn’t mad, he loved her, she had nothing to be ashamed of. Wanda wanted her brother with her. He could fix this. He could do anything._  
_But Von Strucker found out. And what he did when he found out was the worst day of all._  
  
  


 

The first thing Wanda felt when she woke up in a strange room with beeping noises all around her was panic. The second thing she felt was relief, because as soon as she let out a noise of distress, Pietro was by her side.  
  
“Where am I?” she whimpered.  
  
“You’re in a hospital, baby. They…had to sedate you.”  
  
“I can’t feel my arms.”  
  
“Painkillers. You got a lot of stitches.”  
  
Wanda glanced down and saw that her arms were wrapped tightly with bandages. She glanced up at Pietro and started to cry, “I want to go home.”  
  
“I know, sweetheart. I know.”  
  
“I’m sorry,” she sobbed, “I don’t know what to do. I just want to make all of it stop.”  
  
Her body was sore and aching, her mouth felt dry, she was too cold, covered in sweat, and she was so completely disgusting and horrible, but even then, Pietro sat on the bed and very gently pulled her onto his lap. Wanda closed her eyes and tried to pretend the rest of the world didn’t exist. She wasn’t in a hospital room. She wasn’t bad, or wrong, or dirty.  
But then she’d open her eyes and everything would be just as awful as it was.  
Maybe Pietro could fix it. He could do anything. Anything. Anything at all.  
  
“Shhh,” Pietro murmured against her hair, “Shhh, it’s okay baby. I’m here. I’ve got you. Brother’s got you, alright? I love you so much. ”  
  
It was only then that Wanda realized she had been chanting-well, half chanting, half choking, “Brother, brother brother,” over and over again. She bawled into his chest, and for once she didn’t care that she was disgusting because the most important person in the world didn’t care.  
And then, that feeling of not caring was gone.  
Pietro was still rocking and soothing her when the door opened and a doctor came in, followed by Natasha, who immediately ran over and pressed kisses to her daughters’ face, “Oh God. Wanda, oh God,” her voice broke, “I thought I was going to lose you.”  
  
“Well, I’m glad to see you’re awake,” the doctor cut in. She was wearing glasses and a name tag that informed them all that her last name was McTaggert, “How are you feeling, Wanda?”  
  
When she didn’t answer, Pietro said, “She told me that she wants to go home.”  
  
“Well, we’ll see if she can soon,” Doctor McTaggert said, “Wanda, why don’t you and Natasha here spend some time together while I talk to your brother? We won’t be long.”  
  
Wanda looked hesitant, but Natasha’s presence was comforting too, so she didn’t put up much of a fight. Pietro followed Doctor McTaggert into the hall, “So, what’s going on?”  
  
She rubbed her forehead, “I’ve talked with the rest of your family, including Doctor Banner. I spoke to Misty as well. Your sister is exhibiting some very concerning behavior.”  
  
“Really?” he said sarcastically,  “I didn’t notice.”  
  
She ignored that, “I’m prescribing her with medication to help combat her anxiety. But I’m afraid that there’s only so much we can do. If these extra gifts of hers are affecting her mind so badly, then that’s something that’s just out of my area of expertise.”  
  
“So what do we do?”  
  
Doctor McTaggert shrugged, “Keep doing what you’ve been doing. Make sure she’s taking the meds, and keep a close eye on her behavior. I wouldn’t let her be alone with knives or anything either. Bring her back if she tries anything like that again, or even if she just starts talking about doing something dangerous.”  
  
“But her powers are messing with her head.”  
  
“I’m afraid they didn’t teach us about magic in medical school. I’m going to need to talk to her about why she tried to hurt herself so badly, but there’s a limit to what we can do other than getting her out of any such state,” McTaggert pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose, “I’m going to keep her overnight, but call right away if you feel like something is wrong. Perhaps you should go home and get some rest.”  
  
“I’m not leaving her.”  
  
“No, I didn’t think you would. I’ll have the nurse check on her in a bit, okay?”  
  
“Thanks,” before Pietro could go back in, he felt a hand on his shoulder and turned around to find that it was Erik, ashen faced.  
  
“I had my phone turned off so I didn’t get the call but I came as fast as I could,” he said, out of breath, “Is she alright? What happened?”  
  
“She’s okay,” Pietro shoved his hands deep into his pockets, “Awake now. They had to sedate her. She grabbed a knife and just started slashing I guess. She only got her arms, but Natasha told me she was going to stab her stomach before Thor grabbed her.”  
  
“Oh my God,” he sat down heavily on the bench against the wall, “Why?”  
  
“We think her powers have more control over her than she does over them. And these imaginary people of hers, Bruce thinks they might be more entities she created with her magic that got past her control.”  

“Could she get rid of them?”  
  
“She thinks they’re her friends. I don’t even know if she wants to.”  
  
“Is this my fault?”  
  
“No! It’s the experiments, I’ve said that already.”

“But it’s the stress of everything else that’s causing her pain!”  
  
“Can you fucking blame her?” Pietro yelled, “We’ve been trying to deal with this as best we can and suddenly you’re just fucking there and I don’t know what you want-”  
  
“I wanted to be in my children’s lives!”   
“Well, I’m sure that was an easy decision for you, but didn’t you realize that it was going to be hard on us?”  
  
Eriks’ face fell, “I…no, I didn’t. I’m sorry.”  
  
Pietro slid down against the wall and to his own surprise started to shake with sobs, “I just don’t know what to do. I feel like I’ve just run out of all I have that can help her. I’m not good enough anymore, and I feel like I’m failing. I love her so much, but I just feel so fucking helpless-”  
  
He stopped as soon as he realized that slowly, carefully, definitely awkwardly, Erik was hugging him. Pietro froze for a moment, and then just as slowly, let himself be held.  
  
“Everyone tells you how stressful it can be,” he choked out, “They keep telling me to like, take a break and time for myself because looking after somebody all the time will get to you. But they never told me that it hurts a billion times more to see the person you love in pain.”  
  
“I know,” Erik said softly, “I know. You will get through this.”  
  
“I might, but will she?”  
  
He laughed humorlessly, “I believe she can. There’s not much in this world you can ever guarantee. But you love her. She’s got a whole family who loves her and will help her get through each day.”  
  
“Including you.” It was more of a question than a statement.  
  
“Yes,” he said, “Including me. And I am here for you too, everyday.”  
  
“I’m sorry,” Pietro closed his eyes, “I shouldn’t have yelled like that.”  
  
“No, it’s alright.”  
  
“I just feel burned out.”  
  
Erik sighed, “When your mother got sick and I spent all that time searching for a cure, I had my fair share of times I felt burned out too. And after she died, I felt like love wasn’t worth it anymore. That’s what love does to you-it can make you so very happy one minute, and the next minute, it will make you not believe in it at all.”  
  
“I do believe in it,” Pietro said frustratedly, “I just don’t believe in anything else, and love can’t get you through anything.”  
  
“It’s one thing Wanda really needs to get her through this. That, and you know, a therapist,” he glanced at the door worriedly, “Will me being here upset her?”  
  
“No. I think she’ll be excited, actually,” Pietro lifted his head, “Want to go see her?”  
  
“Do you want to?”  
  
“I don’t know.”  
  
Erik rubbed his shoulder gently, “You haven’t left her side for hours. I know it must hurt to see her like this.”  
  
Pietro was about to say “you have no idea” until he remembered that Erik probably did have an idea. So he didn’t say anything at all.  
  
  


 

Clint showed up at the hospital about forty minutes later. Pretty much everyone had been there except for Tony, which was fine by Pietro, since he was afraid that he was going to have another argument with him anyways.  
  
“Hey, princess,” he pressed a kiss to Wanda’s forehead, “How are you feeling?”  
  
“Okay, I guess.”  
  
“I brought Lorna for you. She was lonely.”  
  
That made her face light up, “Thank you! Are you staying too?”  
  
“Yep,” he settled in a chair, “Just a few more hours and then we can bring you home, okay?” 

“I don’t like it here,” Wanda looked up at the ceiling, “It’s scary.”  
  
“I know, sweetie,” he reached out to stroke her hair, “You’re being such a brave girl right now.”  
  
“Am I in trouble? For what happened?”  
  
Clint sighed, “No, you’re not…in trouble. But we need to talk about what happened.”  
  
“I don’t know what happened!” he could sense the tears coming on again, “I’m so so so sorry, but I was just scared and my head went all blank and then I just did it!”   
“It’s okay,” he soothed, “We talked to the doctors and Bruce. They think that your powers might be forcing you into panic attacks without you actually being triggered by anything.”  
  
“Is that my fault?”  
  
“No, of course not. It just means that we might have to keep a closer eye on you from now on, that’s all,” he clasped his hands together, “But we all still love you very much, and that’s not going to change. I’ll take you home and everything will be fine.”  
  
“I’m afraid,” she whimpered, “I’m so afraid that I’m going to hurt someone.”  
  
Clint looked at her sadly, “Baby, I think you’re posing more of a threat to yourself than to anyone else right now. We just want to keep you safe, and you can help us do that by listening. Understand?”  
  
She nodded, “I’m sorry.”  
  
“Nothing to be sorry, princess. Come here,” he wrapped her in a hug, “I love you so much. Whatever’s going on with you, I’m gonna be here for you. I promise.” 

“You promise? I would be sad if you were gone. I wouldn’t know what to do if you were gone.”  
 

“I’m not leaving you. Not now, not ever.”  
  
“Even if I’m really, really bad?”  
  
“Shhh. You’re not bad. Not at all. Why don’t you try and get some rest now?”  
  
Wanda reached her arms up, “Hugs?”  
  
Clint smiled and sat next to her before pulling her onto his lap, “Alright. I’ll stay right here with you.”  
  
“That would be nice,” she yawned, “I am very tired.”  
  
“Sleep, sweetheart. I’ve got you now,” he kissed her forehead again, “I’ve got you, and I love you. We’ll work this out.”  
  
“What if we don’t? What if I’m all wrong?”  
  
“Princess, you’re not wrong. There’s nothing wrong with you. Your powers make you a little different, but that’s okay, remember? You’re fine how you are.”  
  
Wanda heard him vaguely, like she always heard people.  
  
_y-oure fine how you ar-e yourefinehowyouarehowyouarefinehowyoufineareyouhowfinehowyouare_  
  
  
  


The hospital released Wanda late the next evening, and Pietro had never been so glad to leave somewhere. They were only in a psychiatric ward, yet the whole place somehow managed to have the smell of death.  
  
He had taken some of it with him, though. Phone numbers to call if it happened again. Wanda seemed a little different when they got home-drained. Usually she would have asked if they could go outside or watch a movie, but instead, she ran right into the closet and slammed the door.  
  
“Wanda,” Natasha sighed as she opened it and dragged her out, “No. You can’t do that.”  
  
“I’m hiding, Mama.”  
  
“You don’t need to hide. Are you hungry?”  
  
“No. I’m going to hide.”  
  
“Well, you can’t. Hold my hand, or somebody else’s hand, but I don’t want you running off right now.”  
  
Wanda sighed, but eventually relented and let Thor pick her up. She attached to him pretty fast and rested her head on his shoulder with her thumb in her mouth. Thor sat down with her cradled in his arms, “I’m glad you’re home, little star.”

“Me too,” she mumbled, “I like it here. I don’t like the hospital.”  
  
“Well, I hope you won’t have to go back,” he said, looking worried, “Are you sure you’re not hungry, darling?”  
  
Wanda nodded, “I want to play hide and seek.”  
  
“Well, you can’t. Pick something else.”  
  
She clung to him tighter, “No. I’ll stay here then.”  
  
“Alright,” he patted her back gently, “Is it time for you to go to sleep?”  
  
“I’m not tired.”  
  
“An endless ball of energy,” Thor shook his head, “Well I would like it if you ate something darling, but I can sing to you instead.”  
  
“Really?” she said excitedly, “Do the star song! Please, I really missed it so much.”  
  
He smiled, “Well, I tried to hum it myself, but it didn’t feel quite right without you.”  
  
“I can’t sing it without you,” Wanda said, “And you forget the words sometimes.”  
  
He laughed, “That I do.”  
  
She still looked uneasy but told him, “I’m glad I’m home with you again.”  
  
“Not as glad as I am. Things aren’t the same without my little star.”  
  



	32. Chapter 32

If Erik wanted to spend time with Wanda, just the two of them, he could go right ahead. He’d had plenty of one on one time with his son, so why shouldn’t he get to know his daughter? He had every right, and Pietro told himself that he was just being a paranoid, overprotective brother again. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust Erik-well, he was learning to trust him. But Wanda hadn’t been out of the hospital for a week, and he just wasn’t sure if spending the day with Erik was a good idea. But the rest of the team did have stuff to do, and the man was a convenient babysitter. On top of that, Bruce and Helen had insisted that it was a good idea for Wanda to spend time with her dad, and they were both convincing as hell.  
Wanda was still ridiculously clingy, but she seemed to be having a day where she let go a little easier. Steve and Natasha were the ones with attachment issues at the moment. Natasha held Wanda close in her arms and kissed her temple, “Mom and Dad have to go now, sweetie. I’ll see you later.”  
  
“Can I go with you? I’ll be good. You won’t even know I’m there.”  
  
“Another time, yeah?” she pulled back, “It’s just gotta be us today. I’ll hang out with you later. Erik’s going to look after you.”  
  
“Is Jean coming?” 

“Not today. Just talk to Friday if you need any help or feel like something is really wrong. You took your medication, right? Remember, you need to take a nap, and if you really need one of us to come home-”  
  
“Natasha,” Bruce cut in, “I think you guys have to go. Erik’s outside.”  
  
“Right,” she hurriedly stood up and walked out, “I love you.”  
  
“Love you too,” Wanda reached her arms up to Steve, “Bye, Daddy.”  
  
“See you later,” he hugged her tightly, “Remember what your mom said. I love you.”  
  
As soon as Erik walked into the room, there was a certain air of discomfort, mostly caused by Steve’s loud throat clearing and feet shuffling, “Hey, Erik.”  
  
“Hello, Steve,” he said as pleasantly as he could, “Lovely day.”  
  
“It is.”  
  
“No it’s not,” Wanda objected, “It’s cold.”  
  
Steve snorted out a laugh, “Thanks for the reminder, princess. Have fun.”   
The air of slight discomfort wasn’t lessened very much when Steve left. Wanda sat on the floor, looking up at Erik expectantly, who stood there with his hands shoved deep into his pockets,

“Uh…how are you today?”  
  
“Good. Are you going to play with me?”  
  
“If you want.”  
  
She stood up and grabbed his hand, “We can play makeover if you want.”  
  
Erik suppressed a groan. Charles was usually the one subject to Jean’s experiments withmakeup, but the few times he’d had to join in, the results hadn’t been pretty. But Wanda looked so excited that he couldn’t turn her down, so he sat and let her start to put shimmery powder on his face and red and purple nail polish on his hands, “You’re good at this.”  
  
“I like it,” she told him, “I love sparkles. I paint my brother’s nails sometimes. I didn’t know there were so many colors until we got here. But in Sokovia, we sometimes had a little bit and he did mine on our birthday.”  
  
Of course he had. That was exactly the kind of thing Pietro would do-he had taken care of Wanda ever since they were children. Everyone knew that. Erik hadn’t been there.  
That was why it almost killed him that Wanda was just opening her heart to him like it was nothing. He didn’t want his children to hate him, but he sure as hell deserved it.  
 

“I hope you’re feeling better,” he said, “Since I saw you in the hospital.”  
  
She shrugged, “The doctors gave me medications I need to take. I don’t understand why.”  
  
“They’ll help you with your anxiety.”  
  
“I guess,” she painted a small purple stripe, “My brother has to help me, because they’re afraid I’ll do something bad if I take it by myself.”  
  
“They just want you to be safe. So do I,” he reached out tentatively to touch her face, “There is nothing that a family can possibly want more than for the people they love to be happy.”  
  
“Are we family?”  
  
“Not if you don’t want to be. But I will care about you either way.”  
  
Before Erik knew what was happening, Wanda had suddenly wrapped her arms around his shoulders and curled up in his lap, “I love you. And I’m glad you’re in my family.”  
  
“Oh,” his voice caught in his throat, “So am I, little one. Very much.”  
  
“You can wash the makeup off now if you want.”  
  
“Well, what do you want to do instead?”  
  
She leaned her head on his chest, “Can we just be like this for a little while? And tell stories?”  
  
“Yes,” he rocked her a little bit, “I’d like nothing more.”  
  
  
  
Erik thought that all Wanda would want to hear was Cinderella after he told it three times in a row, but when he was done, she looked up and asked, “Can you tell me about my other mom? The one I had first.”  
  
He stiffened, “Darling, it was a long time ago.”  
  
“But what was she like?”  
  
Erik sighed. Of course it was natural for the girl to want to know about her mother. He just found it easier telling Pietro about Magda for some reason. He kept rocking his daughter back and forth and stroked her hair gently as he spoke, “Well, she was very funny. A lot like Pietro-loud, adventurous, a little bit wild, and stubborn as anything,” he smiled at the memories, “She would always talk about giving nice things to her children, all the places she wanted to take you. Magda had big dreams.”  
  
“Did you love her so much?”  
  
He nodded, “Yes, I did. She made me very happy. And you know, she picked out your names by herself. I almost went with Ana and Mateo, but she changed my mind.”  
  
Wanda tried to imagine being named Ana. Maybe her life would be different if she had been, “Why did she want other names?”  
  
“Magda was so particular about some things. If something rubbed her the wrong way, she simply could not abide it all. She didn’t think her children were meant to be called Ana and Mateo. She wanted your brother to be Pietro, after a friend of ours who passed away. She told me it meant rock, and that he would be the rock to keep people together. That he would be strong for himself and others.”  
  
Wanda giggled, “That’s just like him. He’s always keeping me together.”  
  
“I can tell. And for you, she just wanted Wanda, for her sweet little wanderer. She loved you so very much. And you know, she loved animals just like you.”  
  
Wanda smiled, “She did? Just like me?”  
  
“Like you wouldn’t believe. She used to bring them into our shelter-not even cats or dogs. Mice, birds, even a bat once. Everyone thought it was crazy, but she just ignored them. She loved those animals. I complained about it all the time,” he laughed, “But there was no changing her mind about what she cared about.”  
  
“I wish I could have met her.”  
  
“So do I,” he sighed, “Oh, she would have loved you.”  
  
Wanda played with her shirt absentmindedly, “Other girls who look like me don’t need people to take care of them. Do you think…”  
  
“She would have looked after you. Always. Every night she’d pray to God that her children would grow up and be happy. It is all she wanted for you-happiness.”  
  
“I am happy, Erik.”  
  
He felt a slight pang at that-he would have given the world to hear Wanda call him dad. But, he reminded himself, that didn’t have to stand in the way of anything anymore, “Even after all this time, I still think about her. I have her face in my mind-and you know, Pietro looks like her. Same expressions, same eyes. And like I said, same personality. That’s why I was so shocked the day I met him.”  
 Wanda snuggled closer, “Does that mean I look like you?”  
  
He laughed, “You know, when I was unsure of whether I had found my children or not-and I really did think your brother looked like Magda-I just kept telling myself that you were to sweet, too good to possibly be my daughter.”  
  
“But I am.” 

“And I am the luckiest man in the world to have found my wonderful children,” still holding her, he stood up, “Now, you need to go take a nap.”  
  
“Can you stay with me? Please, Erik?”  
  
Those big green eyes were all her own, and there was no way he could refuse her. So Erik let Wanda cling to him as he put her down, and sang to her softly in the language they were both most familiar with until she drifted off.  
  
  


 

When Natasha and Helen got back, they found Wanda and Erik snuggled up and asleep while Mulan played at a low volume. Natasha pressed a finger to her lips, “Don’t bother them. That’s so sweet.”  
  
“I feel like we should take a picture,” Helen smiled, “Come on, I want to cuddle you too.”  
  
She grinned and pressed a kiss to her neck, “What kind of cuddles?”  
  
“Not the kind you want. I’m not explaining that to her if she wakes up.”  
  
“Good point. Actually, can you help me get started on dinner? It’s my turn tonight.”  
  
“Sure,” Helen followed her into the kitchen and started rummaging through cabinets, “Remember, you’re cooking, not setting fire to the house.”  
  
Natasha rolled her eyes, “You’re never going to let that go, are you?” 

“Give it ten thousand years,” she grinned, “Here’s the salt.”  
  
“You know what we should do? Make it look like we’re snorting it and wait for the look on Steve’s face when he walks through the door.”  
  
Helen burst out laughing, “Natasha! That’s horrible! But anyways, I’ll be you anything Steve has done drugs at some point in his life.”  
  
“Eleven bucks says you’re wrong.”  
  
“Why not ten?” 

“Because I said eleven,” she stuck her tongue out, “Hey, I talked to Vision today. He might be coming home soon. Apparently he’s done enough world traveling.”  
  
“I’m sure Tony’s going to love that. Seeing his son again and all.”  
  
Natasha gave her a look, “With that logic, he’s your son too.”  
  
“I wonder how I should tell Amadeus that he’s gained a stepsister and a new brother.”  
  
“Stepsister?” Natasha’s hands froze, “I…you mean Wanda.”  
  
There was a pause before Helen said as normally as she could muster, “Well, she technically would be my stepdaughter if we got married. Right?”  
  
“Yeah, I guess.”  
  
“I love her too, you know. I’m glad that she’s a part of my life. And even if I wasn’t…” she wrung her hands together, “Well, I’d learn how to deal with anything for you. After Philip left me, I didn’t think I was worth very much. But you helped me to believe in myself again, and I’ll always owe you for that.”  
  
“You don’t owe me anything. And you would have believed eventually, I just gave you a little nudge.”

“A nudge,” she repeated, “Towards you.”  
  
“I guess,” she looked back, eyebrow raised, “Are you okay? You’re acting kinda weird you know.”  
  
“I know,” Helen murmured before speaking up clearly, “I know. I know. I know-”  
  
“You’re spending too much time with Wanda,” Natasha joked, “She’s been repeating everything lately. I think she’s trying to-”  
  
“Will you marry me?”  
  
Natasha dropped what she was holding and it fell to the floor with a clatter. She turned and stared at Helen openmouthed. The scientist was looking her straight in the eye, shoulders back and face alight with fear and relief at getting the words out, “I asked. Will you marry me?”  
  
“Helen,” Natasha stuttered, “I…you don’t want to…I mean-”  
  
She pursed her lips, “I don’t want to what? I don’t want to marry the Black Widow? Because I do. I want to marry you because I am insanely in love with you and I can’t hold this up for any longer. I’ve been waiting my whole life for you.”  
  
“Where is all this coming from?” Natasha finally said, “Why now?”  
  
“I don’t know,” she shrugged, “I guess it just hit me-I don’t want to be with anyone else ever again. Like if you died today, I wouldn’t be with anyone else, ever. And I want to marry you because that’s a fun thing to do when you’re crazy about someone the way I am about you.”  
  
Still struggling to find her voice, Natasha took a few tentative steps forward towards Helen so she could clasp their hands together, “I’m either dreaming or I got so lucky it’s insane. Jesus Christ, Helen. Yes.”  
  
Her eyes lit up, “Really? You’re saying yes? I know I don’t have a ring or anything-”  
“I don’t need a ring,” she kissed her, “I need you. And I would probably fuck you right here and now if we didn’t have a bunch of team members about to walk through the door.”  
  
“I’ll settle for another kiss.”  
  
Natasha grinned and pulled her in close.  
  
  


 

 

The news of Natasha and Helen’s engagement lifted everyone’s spirits for about a day, but the mounting tension between Steve and Tony brought it down almost immediately. It seemed like they were always fighting, and whether it was about something big or small, it was never pretty. Wanda felt guilty because she knew one of the things they had argued about was her. Mostly it was other stuff, things she didn’t understand, but she’d at least been brought up. And she knew because she overheard Natasha arguing with Steve about it.  
  
“…It’s not safe, it’s not healthy, I don’t want her in this environment if he’s going to make her feel bad about being the way she is-”  
  
“He doesn’t say that stuff to her,” Steve sighed.  
  
“Well he says it to me, asshole!” Natasha snapped, “Tell her to grow up, stop coddling her, make her act her age. Why can’t he grasp that she literally can’t do any of that?”  
  
“I know. I know,” Wanda could practically see Steve rubbing his forehead, “I’ll talk to him.”  
  
“By talk you mean yell.”  
 

“I don’t like the fighting any more than you do, Nat. It’s a bad situation for all of us. And we’re not going to be able to function if this is all going on. Not as a team, not as a family. I don’t want to actually fight Tony but the stuff he’s been saying about this act scares me. And I will fight him over my family if I have to,” he sighed, “I think we’ve exhausted this. Where’s Wanda?”  
  
She poked her head through the doorway, “I’m here, Daddy.”

“Were you listening? You’re not supposed to do that.”  
  
“I didn’t mean to at first, and then I forgot that I wasn’t supposed to.”  
  
Natasha looked worried, but let it go, “Come on, sweetie. It’s time for your meds, and then you need a bath before I put you to sleep.”  
 Wanda made a face, “No.”  
  
“You can have your brother help you instead. Or Clint, or anyone you want. But you need to take it,” she brushed some hair out of her face, “It’s okay, malyutka. Misty gave it to you so you would feel better, right?”  
  
Wanda grabbed her mother’s hand, “I do feel better.”  
  
She snorted. The girl had had another breakdown about an hour ago, “Wanda, remember how you feel when you get anxious. This can help you.”  
  
“No!” she turned on her heel and ran out of the room and down the hall until she bumped into Pietro, who steadied her quickly, “Where are you running off to?”  
  
“Nowhere,” she mumbled, “It’s time to-”  
  
“Wanda!” Natasha finally caught up, “You can’t just run away from things you don’t like doing. I told you, Pietro can help you take it if you want.”  
  
Pietro figured out then what was going on-his sister was far from med compliant. She clung to him tightly, her whole body shaking while he whispered to her, “Baby, it takes a second and you’re done. Like getting an injection.”  
  
“I don’t like those either.”  
  
“Fine. It’s like when you got your ears pierced. Only even less painful. You won’t feel anything, it’s just swallowing.”  
  
“I don’t want to,” she sniffled, “Don’t make me.”  
  
“I’m sorry, baby. I know it’s not the most fun thing in the world,” he sat on the couch and pulled her onto his lap, “I’ll help you, and it will be quick and completely painless.”  
  
Wanda eventually just ended up wanting to get it over with, so she leaned back in Pietro’s arms and let him put the little tablet in her mouth without complaint-although she was crying the whole time, so she ended up choking on the water a little bit. Pietro kissed her cheek, “That’s my brave girl. Good job, sweetheart. That wasn’t so bad, was it?”  
  
She turned and hid her face in his shoulder again, “I don’t want to do it ever again!”  
  
He sighed, “I know, honey. I know. Why don’t we just put you in bed, okay?”  
 

“Not tired,” she mumbled, “Can we play instead?”  
  
“After you have a shower or something. Do you want me to help you or someone else?”  
  
She deliberated for a moment, “Mama.”  
  
“Okay,” he helped her up, “Go on. I’ll read you a story before bed.”  
  
“Can I tell you a story?”  
  
Pietro looked surprised, but nodded, “Of course. Which one?”  
  
“About our first mom. Erik told me lots about her.”  
  
“Oh he did?” Pietro hadn’t thought to ask much about Magda so far, but Wanda seemed to be full of stories, “She loved animals, like me! And you know what else Pietro?”  
  
“Yes?”  
  
“She was like you.” 


	33. Chapter 33

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm tagging this story as anti-tony stark just in case. I don't actually hate him, but he is a bit mean in this story.

Tony didn’t know why anyone thought it would be a good idea to have him take Wanda to see Misty. Sure, everyone had thrown a bunch of words at him like “bonding” and “she needs to learn to trust you.” Now that was total bullshit. They’d had one nice day that time he’d babysat her, and that was about it. Tony felt bad about what Stark Industries had done to the kid’s family, but the more he was around her, the weirder she became. And he thought everyone was being a little rude about it too-did people just expect him to be okay with a twenty one year old woman sucking her thumb, playing dress up and sleeping with a stuffed animal? For Christ’s sake, she had creepy imaginary friends that followed her around everywhere.  
  
But Pepper had finally come back from her months of being mostly away doing work for the company, and she had joined forces in insisting that Tony make more of an effort. He could have handled that, it was exactly the kind of thing that Pepper would insist upon-the worst part was that Bruce had been telling him to be nicer too. It felt like a betrayal.  
  
The car ride to the doctor’s office was awkward enough-Wanda sang quietly to herself until he told her to please knock it off. Right before they’d left she had been snuggling with Natasha, who Tony felt like he didn’t even know anymore. That woman was the Black Widow, feared assassin and spy, and she had been cooing to the kid and kissing her face and singing to her. Maybe parenthood somehow turned you into a completely new person. A lamer person.  
  
He wouldn’t say any of that in front of Natasha, she’d probably snap his neck.  
  
Misty greeted Tony warmly, even though her expression was careful and measured. He wondered how much she had heard about him. Wanda hugged her, “Eimin and Uriel came with me.”  
  
“Are those the creepy twins?” Tony muttered, “Pretty sure we’d all be happier if they did not come anywhere.”  
  
 Misty threw him a dirty look, “That’s very nice, Wanda. Why don’t you go find something to play with while I talk to Tony for a few minutes?”  
  
He knew what was coming, so when Wanda had left he immediately said, “Look, they’re weird, okay? She’s described them to me and Jesus Christ, they have these dragon wings and creepy faces-”  
  
“Tony,” Misty said patiently, “Imaginary friends are perfectly normal and healthy for children to have. I imagine Wanda did not have many real friends growing up, and she has a very big imagination. And with her PTSD, they are very common coping mechanisms.”  
  
“But she thinks they’re real.”  
  
“To her, they are very real. And it’s just not a good thing to discourage one of the ways she channels her emotions when she usually does it by hurting herself,” she patted his shoulder, “I’m going to go do my job now. Nice to meet you, Mr. Stark.”  
  
“Yeah. Sure.”  
  
  


 

Wanda didn’t seem to pick up on Tony’s cues that he wanted the two of them to not say anything to each other. The car ride home was filled with her chattering about more of her imaginary friends, and Tony gripping the steering wheel more and more tightly.  
  
“And then Wonder had a birthday party and I got him presents, and Alison and Eimin and Uriel and Norrin came and it was really fun. You can come to the next parties if you want. Alison’s is on February third, and the twins are on May fifth, and Norrin’s is on March twelfth. I need to know all their birthdays. When is your birthday?”  
  
“Doesn’t matter,” Tony griped.

“Yes it does! I need to know so I can make you a gift!”  
  
“I don’t want anything from you, Wanda. Thanks anyway.”  
  
She looked hurt, “Why not?”  
  
“It’s not…personal,” he sighed, “Well, actually it kind of is. I don’t know, kid. You’re so used to people fawning over you. I can’t talk to Steve without him somehow mentioning how cute he thinks you are, even though you’re actually creepy. Not everyone’s going to like you, you know.”  
  
“I know. Besides my brother and my other parents, you guys are the first people who ever liked me.”  
  
“Is that supposed to make me feel bad?”  
  
“No,” her voice wavered.  
  
“Good,” Tony knew he was being an ass, but he couldn’t bring himself to care. Suddenly, all the emotions he’d been holding in for months were starting to pour out, “Because I don’t care. All I ever do is feel like shit over you and your brother for something that happened eleven fucking years ago. And everyone still wants to act like I’m the bad guy. I don’t know why you’re always acting like a fucking two year old, but it’s weird. Maybe it’s some kind of attention seeking thing. Is that it? Did you just delude yourself into thinking nobody’s going to love you if you don’t grow the fuck up?”  
  
Wanda looked confused, “I’m not two. I’m twenty one.”  
  
“Right. Like you make it so easy to tell.”  
  
“I’m sorry,” now her voice really broke, “Did I do something wrong? I’ll be good, I promise. Is there something I can do to make it better?”  
 

“I don’t know, Wanda!” Tony yelled, “I don’t know what is wrong with you, I don’t know how to handle you, I don’t know how your brother hasn’t lost his fucking mind after having to do this for his entire childhood, I just don’t know. All that I know is that I thought I had moved on from being a fucking weapons dealer and suddenly you two show up with all these terrible memories and things that have happened to you because of me, and it all comes back! So would you please, please, please just shut the hell up for once?”  
  
He expected her to start crying loudly, but Wanda stayed quiet. She just blinked out tears and covered her mouth with her hand. Her face had gone pale, and her eyes wide-she looked terrified. Tony tried not to look at her or listen to the faint sound of her sniffling and focused solely on the road ahead until they reached a red light that took forever to change. While he tapped his fingers impatiently on the dashboard, Wanda suddenly let out a bloodcurdling scream. Tony cursed, “What the fuck?”  
  
“I see him!” she shrieked, “I saw him! He’s here! He’s going to kill me!” 

“Jesus Christ, calm down!” Tony hissed, “Can you act human for once in your life? Just sit and stay, there’s nobody going to kill you-”  
  
It happened in a flash, but Wanda gave him one frightened look, unlocked the car door and ran out into the swarm of traffic. Tony’s mouth dropped open, “Wanda! Get back here now! Goddammit!”  
  
The light turned green and Tony made a sharp turn in the direction she had gone so he could park on the curb before getting out. Even in the crowded New York City sidewalks she was pretty easy to spot-there were no other adult women wearing ruffled lavender dresses and pigtails. Tony ran over to Wanda, who was screaming and crying hysterically, drawing a hell of a lot of attention. He grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her, “Snap out of it! What the fuck is wrong with you?”  
  
Wanda shook her head and covered her mouth again before trying to dart away. Tony yanked her back and ended up tackling her to the ground. She barely seemed to notice that she had scraped her arm so badly there was blood coming out. At this point more than a few people were staring and a very large, intimidating man with a furious expression had stomped over, “What the hell are you doing to her?”  
 

“She’s fine,” Tony snapped, “It’s really not your business.”  
  
“Fine my ass! She’s hysterical. Do I need to call a hospital or the police?”  
  
Tony could feel himself suddenly grow desperate. Wanda was not showing any signs of calming down. He looked up at the angry man, “Just help me get her out of here.”  
  
“Please tell me you’re not her caretaker. Because you’re doing a shitty job.”  
  
“I’m not! She has a brother and her…parents, I just need to get her out of here!”  
  
The man glared at him, “I will drive you wherever you need to go. Or I can call someone for you.”  
  
“Natasha,” he managed, “Uh…her mom. I’ll call her.”  
  
“Fine. You do that,” he knelt down next to Wanda, “Are you okay, honey?”  
  
She shook her head, “I want my mama.”  
  
“I know, sweetie. Of course you do. We’re going to get you to her soon, okay? What’s got you so upset?”  
  
Wanda started sobbing hysterically again, “I saw him! He said he’s going to kill me if I told what he did, and I did tell, and now he’s going to take my family away!”  
  
The man looked up at Tony with a questioning expression. Not feeling like explaining the whole thing he just said, “She was abused really badly. The guy’s dead now, and she won’t buy it.”  
  
“Oh,” the man’s face softened as he looked back to Wanda, “Hey. What’s your name?”  
  
She stuttered it out and he smiled gently, “That’s very pretty. I’m Luke. Luke Cage. I’m really glad I met you, because I want to help you through this. And I’m just going to stick with you until your mama comes, okay?”  
  
Wanda nodded, and Tony finally got Natasha to pick up.  
  
“What is it?”  
  
“Your kid is hysterical. She jumped out of the car and ran into traffic.”  
  
“She what?” Natasha practically shrieked, “Oh my God, please tell me she’s okay. If she’s not I’m going to-”  
  
“She scraped her arm really badly, but other than that she’s fine. Look, I’ll text you directions, but you need to get down here.”  
  
“I’m on my way,” she sounded almost breathless, “What the hell happened?”  
  
Tony didn’t say anything, prompting her to ask in a more menacing voice, “What. Happened?”  
  
“Look, I don’t even know if I had something to do with it, she just said that she saw Von Strucker and started freaking out! But I did…say some stuff that made her a little upset, I don’t know.”  
  
“What kind of stuff?” her tone was icier than he had ever heard before.  
  
“I guess I’ve just kinda been struggling with the fact that she’s here to stay, and she’s so weird, and the twins are both like, war orphans because of the weapons I created.”  
  
Natasha let loose a string of Russian curse words before yelling in English, “That is the kind of thing you talk to Pietro about! She’s a child!” 

“I know. I know. I don’t know why I said it, I just started talking and couldn’t stop.”  
  
Natasha hung up the phone without saying anything else and showed up within five minutes. Wanda was still crying, although she had been consoled a little bit by Terrifying Luke Cage, who took his leave as soon as Natasha showed up. She parked her car, stormed up to Tony and punched him in the face, “I can’t believe I trusted you with her!”  
  
“Fuck, Tasha!” he snarled, “I said I was sorry!”  
  
“Yeah, don’t apologize to me. I’m sorry you were feeling that way, but you didn’t need to take it out on her.”  
  
“You fawn over her, and it’s gross.”  
  
Natasha ignored him and ran over to her daughter, “Mama’s here, malyutka. I’ve got you.”  
  
Wanda looked over at Tony, who was rubbing his face gingerly. She reached out a hand to him, “Are you okay?”  
  
“Don’t look at him,” Natasha said firmly, “Just breathe, sweetie. Mommy’s here, I won’t let anyone hurt you.”  
  
“I thought I saw him,” she looked up through tear filled eyes, “I thought he was going to kill me. He said he would, every time he came to see me.”  
  
“It’s okay,” Natasha soothed, “It’s over now.”  
  
Wanda kept talking, and like Tony, all the words suddenly just seemed to come to the surface, “He didn’t always touch me. The first time he just told me to sit at his feet. He used to just look. Sometimes he just hit,” she started speaking faster, “And he came to see me every day. I got so scared. I couldn’t tell Pietro, I just couldn’t! And then I was going to have my baby, my Eva, and she went away from me because I was such a bad girl and couldn’t take care of her,” she gulped for air before pressing on, “He hit me. He said, lie on the ground because you need me to teach you. And then he did the other things and I don’t know what they were, but I hated it! I hated it, Mama! I hate him! And I hate myself most of all!”  
  
While Natasha kept murmuring to her, saying that she was so loved, and so perfect, and she was so brave for telling, Tony suddenly felt a new feeling wash over him.  
  
He felt awful. No, he felt worse than awful. He felt like the biggest colossal jackass in the world.  
  
  


 

“Hold still, sweetie,” Steve wrapped a bandage around Wanda’s arm, “There you go. All done,” he kissed her cheek, “Are you feeling okay?”  
  
Wanda nodded, “I talked to Mama about the thing.”  
  
“I know you did, and I’m so proud of you. You were very brave,” he lifted her off the countertop and into his arms, “It’s hard for me to talk about scary things too, Wanda. I know how difficult it is.”  
  
The door slammed opened, and suddenly Wanda found herself in Pietro’s arms. He pressed kisses all over her face, asking in between, “Are you hurt? Are you okay? Oh God, I’m so sorry, baby girl.”  
  
“I had scratches, but Daddy fixed it,” she trembled a little as she clung to him, “I love you.”  
  
“I love you too, sweetheart. My beautiful, perfect girl,” he sat down on the couch next to Natasha with her still curled up in his arms, “Everyone loves you.”  
  
“Not everyone,” Wanda told him softly, “But the people I love do love me back, and that’s most important.”  
  
“Are you feeling better?” 

She shrugged and leaned against his chest, reaching out to take Natasha’s hand, “Mommy, I love you too.”  
  
She smiled and rubbed her nose against the girl’s playfully, “I love you too, malyutka. You’ve had a big day. What do you want to do?”  
  
“Hugs,” she said, “Just hugs. Is that okay, Pietro?”  
  
He smiled and rocked her back and forth, “You can have all the hugs in the world.” 


	34. Chapter 34

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know it's short but I struggle with endings, and the next chapter is the last one. *sigh*
> 
> I would like to say that I'm going to tie everything up really nicely-but I can't. There are things that will be a bit open ended and I don't want to do something where everyone's problems are fixed just because it's the end, you know? I still have the oneshots in this verse I'll be writing, so even when this is done, it's not goodbye forever. :)

Clint couldn’t focus on watching the crappy reality TV show that was playing if he tried, so he wasn’t at all annoyed when Wanda came to curl up in his lap. She pressed swift little kisses to his face until he laughed and pushed her back a little, “You’re smothering me, cutie. What’s going on?”  
  
“I made a picture. Of flowers.”  
  
“That’s very nice.”  
  
“It’s for Tony. To say I’m sorry.”  
  
Oh. Not so nice. Clint sighed, “That was very thoughtful of you, but I don’t think it’s such a good idea. Tony just needs some time, that’s all. I know you want to get along with him, and he wants to get along with you, he’s just not sure how. He’ll come around after a while, but for now why don’t you just leave it alone?”  
  
“Why is it a bad idea?”  
  
“Well, he’s just not used to knowing someone like….like you,” he said the last part hurriedly, “And you know, he just needs more time to adjust.”  
  
“Oh. Well, I’ll save it for when he does.”  
  
“And I’m sure he’ll appreciate it then. But how are you doing today? Did you take your medication yet?”  
  
She groaned and rested her face on his shoulder, “Yes. I still hate it.”  
  
“I know. It gets easier, sweetie. You’ve been doing so well.”  
  
“The Vision is coming soon,” she said, playing with the hem of her skirt, “I don’t remember him really that much. Is he nice?”  
  
“Yes,” Clint held her closer, “I mean, he could already tell how important it was for you and your brother to have every chance to be together, so he pulled you out when the city went down. Remember?”  
  
“I hated that day. Everything felt very wrong.”  
  
He sighed, “I know, baby girl. Me too. But we did get some good things out of it eventually. Your mom started to spend more time with Helen and now they’re getting married.”  
  
“And Pietro got really hurt but he turned out to be okay.”  
  
“And I got my sweet princess,” he kissed her forehead,”You want to know something?”  
  
She nodded, “Yes.”  
  
“You and your brother really helped me to become a happier person. A better person. I wasn’t very sure if I had a place on the team before you guys showed up, but I have a new purpose now, and it’s protecting you two. It feels good.”  
  
Wanda kissed his face again, “You always had a place. And you’re a really, really, really good hero. And the best fairy godmother.”  
  
“Yeah? I’m glad you think so,” he stroked her hair, “But I really am so lucky you guys came into my lives, Wanda. Just…you and your brother have pure love, no strings attached. And I don’t know what I would do without it,” he tried not to choke on his words or get emotional, “I don’t know if you’ll understand this, but you were my fairy godmother.”  
  
“I understand,” she said softly, “I understand, and I love you.”  
  
Clint pressed a quick kiss to her hair, “I love you too, princess. So, so much.”  
  
  
  


 

Wanda ended up giving her drawing a lot earlier than she expected. After Pietro had set her down for a nap later that day (a task that usually involved a lot of whining and bribery) Tony cautiously knocked on her door, “Can I come in?”  
  
Wanda blinked sleepily and looked up at him, “Hi, Tony.”  
  
“Hey,” he sighed, “Look, kid. Can I talk to you?”  
  
If Tony called her “kid” it usually meant he was in a good mood, so Wanda motioned him forward, “Okay.”  
  
He sat on the edge of the bed and rested his palms on his knees, “About the other day. I’m sorry.”  
  
“It’s alright. Clint told me why you felt that way.”  
  
“Yeah, I’m sure he did.”  
  
“He said that this is a lot for you to get used to.”  
  
Tony laughed softly, “It really is. But I do want to make an effort with you, Wanda. I think I just panicked back there and I don’t know exactly why, maybe it was just a bad day, or maybe I’d reached the end of my rope with all this stress. But I’m sorry I scared you. I’m sorry I yelled. And just so you know, Pepper did not make me do this. I really wanted you to know,” he looked down, “That’s it.”  
  
“It’s still alright. I’m sorry too,” Wanda touched his hand, “I don’t want us to fight.”  
  
“Me neither. Just try to remember that I’m adjusting, okay? And I’ll try to remember that you’re…well, that you’re you, I guess. Deal?”  
  
“Okay.”  
  
“You’re supposed to say deal back to me.”  
  
“Oh. Deal back to me,” she reached over and handed him the sheet of paper covered in scribbles, “I made this for you.”  
  
“Looks like a Jackson Pollock painting. If Jackson Pollock used crayons and glitter glue,” he patted her head, “Thanks, kid. I’ll hang it in the lab.”  
  
“You don’t have to keep it if you don’t want.”  
  
“I do want to,” he said a little more firmly, “And you should probably get some rest or your brother’s going to get all pissy at me.”  
  
Wanda lay down again, “Okay. Thanks, Tony.”  
  
“Yeah,” he stood up, “You’re welcome, kid.”  
  
  
  


 

Wanda did fall asleep, and woke up to the feeling of someone kissing her forehead and a voice cooing, “Hey, cutie. Ready to get up?”  
  
She blinked and saw Natasha next to her, stroking her hair gently. Wanda wrapped her arms around her, “Hi, Mama. I love you.”  
 “I love you too, malyutka,” she kissed her forehead, “Always have and always will. Come on, let’s go make a snack. I’m starving.”  
  
“Can we have cookies?”  
  
“Sounds good to me,” Natasha straightened the girl’s dress and bows before pressing her close to her chest. Wanda giggled, “Mama, you’re smothering!”  
  
“I get to. I’m your mom. And it’s also payback for all those times you randomly attack me with hugs.”  
  
“They aren’t hug attacks. They’re hug surprises.”  
  
She burst out laughing, “Sure. Hey, you know Vision came back while you were asleep.”  
  
“Really?” Wanda suddenly looked nervous, “Is he scary?”  
  
“No, silly girl. He’s very nice, and he’s going to be nice to you.”  
  
Wanda remembered what Clint had said about how Vision had pulled her out because he thought there was still a chance that she and Pietro didn’t need to be separated by dying. Maybe he was nice. She took Natasha’s hand and walked out into the common room. The Vision was wearing what looked like normal human clothes rather than what he’d had before. Wanda remembered that he used to have a gold cape. He was talking to Thor and Pietro, looking deep in conversation when she was introduced by Natasha, “This is Wanda. You remember her.”  
  
“Of course,” he looked at her kindly, “Hello child.”  
  
Wanda was hiding behind her mother put poked her head out a little, “Hi. You don’t have a gold cape anymore.”  
  
He chuckled, “It was a bit too conspicuous.”  
  
Conspicuous. She made a mental note to ask Clint to read that to her in the dictionary later, “Why have you been gone?”  
  
“I wanted to see the world I was protecting,” he said simply, “I traveled to different countries. There is much beauty on this earth, but I am glad to be here.”  
  
“As are we,” Thor said with a little too much enthusiasm. Natasha shot him a strange look and Pietro snickered behind his hand.  
  
Vision took no notice and continued, “I forgot to congratulate you on your upcoming union with Doctor Cho, Agent.”  
  
“Oh, thanks,” she smiled, “It’s gonna be the smallest wedding ever, but it’s great that you’ll be here for it. So, where did you travel?”  
  
As it turned out, he had been to about twenty countries, and it took him almost three hours to tell them stories of half of them. By the time that Steve had gone to start on dinner and things were beginning to quiet down, Wanda slid off her brother’s lap and walked over to Vision, “Hi again.”  
  
“Hello, little one.”  
  
“I wanted to say thank you,” Wanda touched his arm, “For making sure I got to be with my brother. I just…I thought he was gone forever and it was so horrible, the worst I’ve ever felt and-”  
  
“I know,” he said gently, “And I knew there was a chance to revive him. I did not want him to wake up a few weeks later to find out that the light of his life was gone. So I helped you. And it seems that he was just fine.”  
  
“I would die if he was gone,” she whispered, “I’d kill myself.”  
  
Wanda was used to her family’s response to that comment-Pietro telling her that she was not allowed to even joke about that, her mother giving her an anguished look. It was a sort of relief that Vision just looked at her with eyes as sad as an android’s could get.  
  
“Yes, I believe you would.”  
  
  


 

Pietro had no issue with his sister wearing makeup in general-she loved to put on glittery eyeshadow and thick layers of lipgloss that tasted like strawberries. But it was all a pain to get off. He scrubbed at her face as gently as he could and she squirmed, “I’ll just sleep with it on.”  
  
“That’s not good for you. Hold still, baby. I’ve almost got it,” he finally stopped and pressed a gently kiss to her face, “There you go.”  
  
“I talked to Vision.”  
  
“Yeah?”  
  
“I told him thank you for saving me because if he hadn’t, you and I would be apart. And he said that he knew, and that you were okay. And I’m glad you are.”  
  
“So am I,” he picked her up and let her wrap her legs around his torso while she rested her chin on his shoulder, “Who else is going to get you dressed and sing to you or do your hair?”  
  
It was meant to be a joke, but Wanda detected a slight tremor in his voice-like he was actually afraid that he really might not be there one day to do those things. And that scared her too, because she couldn’t do them by herself. Not without her brother.  
  
“I love you, Pietro,” she said softly, “You’re the greatest brother who ever lived. And Mom and Dad in Sokovia loved you, and they knew that too.”

Pietro didn’t say anything at first, but when he spoke a few moments later, his voice was shaking with tears, “I can’t believe I…that I have such a wonderful human being in my life.”  
  
“Who?”  
  
“You, Wanda. My sweet baby sister who never asked me for anything but a hug and wears too much glitter makeup and has bows in her hair. Just you.”  
  
“Me,” she said slowly, “I am glad you love me. We’ll always be together. And we’ll always be happy.”  
  
“I think you’ll make sure of that,” he agreed, “There’s not a person in this world who ever loved as much as you.”  
  



	35. Chapter 35

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm bad at endings, so sorry in advance. But it's not the end of this verse in general, I'll still do oneshots and stuff. So I didn't want to wrap up everything SUPER perfect, you know?

  
Natasha and Helen got married at the tower on the sixth day of December, in the evening. They’d been separated the whole day since Helen had insisted they follow the old tradition of not seeing the bride before the wedding, which seemed to stress Natasha out beyond belief. The whole thing had her a little stressed out, even if they had planned it to be small. She got herself ready, little pearl earrings and silky white dress that hit just above her ankles.  
She had planned to leave her hair down, but in a split second decision, ended up pulling it back. In the mirror, it made her look happier with herself, more in control. 

Natasha was so deep in her thoughts that she almost didn’t notice Steve knocking on the door and saying, “Hey, I hate to rush you and everything, but we do need to get a move on here.”  
  
“Yeah, one minute,” she said dazedly, “Hey, can you get Wanda for me?”  
  
 “Sure,” his footsteps started to fade, then return again before Wanda opened the door slowly and walked in. Her hair was curled and pinned up with red flowers for decoration that matched the color of her dress. Natasha held her arms out, “You are so beautiful.”  
  
“You’re more beautiful,” Wanda ran into her embrace and nuzzled into Natasha’s shoulder, “It’s so amazing that you and Helen are getting married. It’s like a happy ending in stories.”  
  
Natasha had never imagined her life as anything like a fairytale that would have a happy ending. For a long time it had been a nightmare, then numbness, and then something that she was a little unsure of. Maybe now she was getting a fairytale. Maybe it had been there since the numbness left. She tipped her head back so she could look Wanda in the eye, “Thank you, malyutka. For everything.”  
  
“I think I need to be saying thanks to you,” she shrugged, “I’m so glad you’re my mama. You’re the best one in the world.”  
  
She laughed softly, “I appreciate that, kid. But I’m really talking about how happy you’ve made me. I know we’ve had a really hard time lately. The worst.”  
  
Wanda nodded and sighed, “The worst.”  
  
“But I still feel so happy when I am around you. When I’m watching movies with you, or playing imaginations. Or even just watching that movie about the singing ice queen-”  
  
“Elsa.”  
  
“I knew that. Point is, I don’t know what exactly brought you into my life, but it’s pretty much the best thing that’s happened to me since I left what I…what I used to do” she looked at the ground, I’m not sure what I was planning on doing after the whole thing with Ultron. I’m really not. And then you woke up crying one night and called me mommy, and it took a while, but then I just knew. That an amazing little girl was offering me a chance to quit moping around and accept people into my life. And that whole thing ended up with me spending more time with Helen, and now we’re getting married. You found your father. You and Pietro have a safe place to live in. And things are good,” she cleared her throat, “So thanks. Thank you Wanda, for being my daughter. I’m the luckiest mother in the world. But can I ask you something?”  
  
She nodded.  
  
“Why did you call me mom that night?”  
Wanda toyed with the fabric of her dress in silence before answering, “I just felt like you were. You were there and I felt you. I saw you, and you saw me, you really saw me but you didn’t go away. And before…” she swallowed hard, “Hardly anyone ever saw me and liked it.”  
  
Natasha pulled her close again, not caring at all if they got the dresses wrinkled, or hair messed up, or if she smudged lipstick on her daughter’s cheek when she kissed her, “I love you. I love you so much.”  
  
“I love you too,” Wanda said softly, “Mommy, you know what? I want to be just like you.”  
  
Natasha was glad she didn’t give a fuck about her mascara running either.  
  
  


 

The ceremony was short and sweet, as promised by Clint, who had somehow ordained a clerical license on a mission somewhere. Fury showed up and actually smiled, which Tony loudly pointed out, causing the man to go back to his usual angry expression, and Pepper to give Tony a death glare.  
  
The tower was filled with people, some of whom Wanda had never met before. Helen’s son Amadeus, had flown in an would be staying until after Christmas when he’d be joining Thor’s old friend Jane in some kind of mentor program. Charles, Erik and Jean were there, and maybe it was just the delirium from the party or things really had changed, but Pietro embraced his father, “I’m glad you’re here.”  
  
“So am I,” he said, sounding shocked, “You look very nice.”  
  
“One comment about the suit I was forced to wear and the Hallmark moment is over.”  
  
Erik laughed, “Of course. Although Charles was very particular about what I was wearing as well.”  
  
Charles rolled his eyes, “Insisting that you don’t wear that ridiculous helmet anywhere we go, let alone a wedding, is not being particular.”  
  
“It’s a hat,” he shot back as he took Wanda in his arms next, “It just looks like a helmet. Pietro, hold on a moment. I want to hug both of my children.”  
  
“That’s really not-” he cut off as he was pulled into the tiny group hug, of which Wanda and Erik both seemed to be very enthusiastic participants. She whispered, “We’re giving hugs! I love you.”  
  
“I love you too, darling,” Erik said, “You know, if I could use one word to describe this moment, it would be-”  
  
“Clint’s about to take a picture and he’s probably going to photoshop it so it looks like we’re in some movie scene,” Pietro muttered.  
  
“Oh dear god,” Erik let them go, laughing, “But really, you two are wonderful children. I am so happy.”  
  
A few unexpected people showed up-Misty and her wife, a woman who introduced herself as Colleen Wing. With them were Remy and Anna, from Wanda’s first days of therapy.  
  
“Natasha sent us the invite, but I’m afraid we can’t stay for long,” Misty said, “We just wanted to wish you all well.”  
  
“Thanks Misty,” Helen hugged her, “It means a lot.”  
  
“And we’re going to be moving back to New Orleans soon,” Anna said, “I just wanted to see you guys again. Congratulations, Natasha. Wanda…” she held her tight and whispered, “Keep on fighting, sweetie. You can do this.”  
  
“You keep fighting too, Anna. You’re amazing.”  
  
“You’re amazing. Your whole family is amazing. Just look.”  
  
Thor was currently asking Vision to dance in the most awkward manner possible, while the android just seemed to miss every cue and simply stood talking and smiling. Wanda smiled. They both seemed so happy. The awkward was a good awkward. It was safety.  
  
Right then, she noticed Bruce in a corner, who didn’t seem to be talking to anyone at the moment. Wanda ran up to him, and much to his surprise, hugged him tight, “Hi.”  
  
“Uh, hey kid,” he put a hand gently on her back, “You having fun?”  
  
“Yes! I wish we had weddings all the time. I think Thor is gonna be next.”  
  
“He’ll need to find someone to marry first.”  
  
“Vision.”  
  
He burst out laughing, “Oh my God. Vision? That’s cute, but…” his voice trailed off as he noticed the scene Wanda had been observing, “Huh. Interesting.”  
  
“I drew you a picture, but it’s in my room. I’ll show you later.”  
  
“Okay. Thanks,” he fixed her with a firm but kind look, “How are you today?”  
  
“I don’t know. But I’m glad you’re here.”  
  
“Yeah?” he cracked another smile, “I’m glad I’m here too. And I’m glad I get to see you. Because you know Wanda, you’re really special to me. I know I sometimes gave off the wrong impression, but I’ve always thought that you are beautiful, and powerful, and amazing. I’m so proud of you,” Bruce looked her straight in the eye, “You and Pietro are some of the strongest people I’ve ever met.”  
  
“We’re stronger together.”  
  
He laughed again and put an arm around her, “Yeah. We all know.”  
  
  


 

The music was still playing, people were still talking, laughing, singing, dancing, by the time it was two in the morning. Wanda usually would have been falling asleep, but she was so full of energy from all the excitement that she could barely stand still. After noticing her brother was gone, Wanda found him alone on the balcony, looking over the city lights.  
  
She came up behind him and tapped his shoulder, “Do you want to be alone?”  
  
He turned and shook his head, picking her up, “No. I never want to be apart from you, baby girl.”  
  
“What are you doing?”  
  
“Oh, just getting some air. At night, the city looks a little bit like home.”  
  
“It’s not as bright.”  
  
Pietro snorted, “It’s got more lights than Novi Grad, that much is sure.”  
  
Wanda shrugged, “Wanna dance with me?”  
  
As a response, he swung her up and around in the air, causing her to shriek with laughter. Pietro smiled and spun her a few more times before setting her down back into his arms without movement. Wanda leaned her head on his chest, and his heart swelled with joy as he pressed a kiss to her temple, “I love you so much.”  
  
“I love you too,” she whispered, “We’re not going to be apart, are we? Never ever.”  
  
“Never ever.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And...that's it. The end.  
> I'm sad as fuck. This story meant a lot to me, and I just want to say a huge thank you to all of you who have followed me on this journey and put up with me. It means so much. I can't believe how much support I got for this story, and I really want you guys to know that I appreciate it so, so much.
> 
> Thank you all. <3

**Author's Note:**

> Some stuff was supposed to be in italics, but whenever I post my stuff here, it always ends up getting formatted out, which is annoying. Bear with me about that.
> 
> I don't know if this was confusing or not, but in case anyone was wondering-for Pietro and Wanda, the ageplay thing is both sexual and non-sexual, and with Natasha it isn't sexual at all. 
> 
> Anywho, if any of you guys have any prompts to keep me going, I'd love to hear them! If not, well, I hope you enjoyed anyway. :P


End file.
